Final answer:
To find the slope of the line passing through the points (-1, 8) and (3, -4), calculate the change in y over the change in x, resulting in -12/4, which simplifies to -3.
Step-by-step explanation:
The slope of a line passing through two points can be calculated using the formula (change in y)/(change in x) which is also known as (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1). For the points (-1, 8) and (3, -4), the slope is calculated as follows:
- Change in y: -4 - 8 = -12
- Change in x: 3 - (-1) = 4
The slope is -12/4, which simplifies to -3. This means that for every increase of 1 on the horizontal axis, there is a decrease of 3 on the vertical axis.