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How to Identify a Slope on a Graph With Points

Slope is a common concept in algebra. It is basically used to describe how steep a line is on the graph. The line on the graph is determined by using sets of points and these points can be used to determine the slope of the line as well. A common way to think about slope is as the "rise over run" of the line. The rise over run refers to the amount of points you need to move upward and then over to get to the graphed points on the line.

Instructions

    • 1

      Identify the points on the line on a graph. The points should be labeled. For example, if a set of points is 2, 3, this means you need to move to the right two points and then up three points to get to the graphed point. The first number in the set represents the X axis, while the second point is the Y axis.

    • 2

      Identify a second set of points on the line. To find the slope on a graph with points, you will need two sets of points to look at.

    • 3

      Find the rise for the points on the line. Start at one point and count how many points you need to move upward or downward to align with the second set. Note that moving upward means a positive rise, while moving downward means a negative rise.

    • 4

      Find the run for the points on the line. Starting with the first set of points, count how many points you need to move to the left or to the right to get to the second set. Moving to the right is a positive run, and moving to the left is a negative run.

    • 5

      Divide the rise you found by the run to get the slope. Slope is often identified in fraction form. For example, if the rise was 3 and the run was 5, then the slope would be 3/5. This is a positive slope. If the rise was minus 3, and the run was 5, then it would be a negative slope of minus 3/5.

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