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How to Figure the Slope of a Graph

Slope, defined as the rise over the run, quantifies the rate of change of a line. Slopes can be either positive or negative, as the sign of the slope defines whether the line is going up or down. The larger the slope, the steeper the line. A line that is horizontal has a zero slope, while a line that is vertical has no slope. To find the slope, you need to know two points on the line.

Instructions

- 1
  Calculate the rise of the line by subtracting the y-coordinate of the first point from the y-coordinate of the second point. For example, if your two points on the line are (-3, -6) and (4, 8), subtract -3 from 4 to get 7.
- 2
  Calculate the run of the line by subtracting the x-coordinate of the first point from the x-coordinate of the second point. For example, if your two points on the line are (-3, -6) and (4, 8), subtract -6 from 8 to get 14.
- 3
  Divide the rise from Step 1 by the run from Step 2 to figure the slope of the graph. In this example, divide 7 by 14 to find the slope equals 0.5.

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