Slope is a measure of steepness in mathematics, representing how much a line rises or falls as it moves from left to right. It's calculated as the change in y-coordinates divided by the change in x-coordinates between two points.
The slope formula is:
m = (y₂ - y₁) / (x₂ - x₁)
Where:
A: Slope helps us understand rates of change and is fundamental in many real-world applications, from construction to data analysis.
A: A negative slope indicates that as x increases, y decreases, meaning the line goes down from left to right.
A: Slope is undefined when the line is vertical (x₁ = x₂), as division by zero is undefined.