What does a negative slope mean?

A negative slope means the line goes downward from left to right. A positive slope means it goes upward.

What is the slope of a vertical line?

A vertical line has an undefined slope because the horizontal change (x₂ − x₁) is zero, and division by zero is undefined.

Coordinate Geometry

Formula

m = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁)

The slope of a line passing through two points is the ratio of the vertical change (rise) to the horizontal change (run) between the two points.

Example 1

Find the slope of the line through (2, 3) and (6, 11).

Solution:

m = (11 − 3) / (6 − 2) = 8 / 4 = 2

d = √((x₂ − x₁)² + (y₂ − y₁)²)

M = ((x₁ + x₂)/2, (y₁ + y₂)/2)

y = mx + c

Download the app and compete with players worldwide. Track your progress, climb the leaderboard, and master mathematics.