Question

What is the slope of the line that contains the points (2, −7) and (−1, 5)?

A: −4
B: -14
C: 14
D: 4

Answer 1

The slope of the line that passes through the points (2, −7) and (−1, 5) is calculated by dividing the change in y by the change in x, resulting in a slope of −4.

Step-by-step explanation:

The slope of a line that contains the points (2, −7) and (−1, 5) can be calculated using the slope formula, which is Δy/Δx, where Δ denotes a change in value. So, the slope m is calculated by taking the difference in y-coordinates and dividing it by the difference in x-coordinates.

Following is the step-by-step calculation:

First, identify the points: Point 1 (x1, y1) = (2, −7) and Point 2 (x2, y2) = (−1, 5).Compute the change in y (Δy): y2 − y1 = 5 − (−7) = 5 + 7 = 12.Compute the change in x (Δx): x2 − x1 = (−1) − 2 = −1 − 2 = −3.Divide the change in y by the change in x to get the slope m: m = Δy/Δx = 12/(−3) = −4.

1. Therefore, the slope of the line is −4, which corresponds to answer choice A: −4.