Final answer:
The slope of a line that passes through the points (-9, -5) and (-1, -9) is calculated using the slope formula and is found to be -1/2.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating the Slope of a Line
The slope of a line that passes through two points, such as (-9, -5) and (-1, -9), is found by using the formula m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1), where m represents the slope and (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) are the coordinates of the two points.
To find the slope of the line, we substitute the given points into the formula:
m = (-9 - (-5)) / (-1 - (-9))
m = (-4) / (8)
m = -1/2
Therefore, the slope of the line that passes through the points (-9, -5) and (-1, -9) is -1/2.
This calculation demonstrates that the slope is the change in y (the rise) over the change in x (the run). In this instance, there is a decrease of 4 in the y-value and an increase of 8 in the x-value.