The slope of a line refers to the amount of vertical change, either up or down, as the line moves from left to right. A positive slope indicates an increase while a negative slope indicates a decrease. The y-intercept is the point at which the line crosses the y-axis. If you know the y-intercept, and at least one point on the line, you can calculate the slope of the line.
Instructions
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1
Select one point on the line and identify the coordinate pair for that point.
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2
Subtract the y-intercept from the y-coordinate. For example, if the coordinate pair is (6, 2), and the y-intercept equals 8, subtract 8 from 2 to get -6.
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3
Divide the result by the x-coordinate to find the slope of the line. In this example, divide -6 by 6 to find the slope equals -1.