Final answer:
To find the slope of the secant line between two points on a function, use the equation q = f(x) - f(a) x - a. Substitute the values of the chosen x and y points into the equation to find the slope.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation q = f(x) - f(a) x - a is used to find the slope of the secant line between the values x₁ and x₂ for the function y = f(x).
To find the slope, you need to choose two points on the line that are far apart so that the slope accurately describes the line.
Let's denote the y-values of these points as Y₂ and Y₁, and the x-values as X₂ and X₁ respectively.
Then, substitute these values into the equation q = f(x) - f(a) x - a to find the slope.