document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=101525>Question 101525</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Find the slope of the line through the points.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "30) (-5, -4) and (3, -4) </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #73905 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=73905\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> The slope of a line through two given points is defined by the equation:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "slope = (change in y)/(change in x)<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "You were given that point 1 is (-5, -4) and point 2 is (3, -4)<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "In going from point 1 to point 2 the value of x goes from -5 to +3.  On the number line that<BR>\n" );
document.write( "requires a change of +8 units. If we plug this into the slope equation, we get:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "slope = (change in y)/8<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "What is the corresponding change in y from point 1 to point 2? Notice that in point 1 the<BR>\n" );
document.write( "value of y is -4 and when you go to point 2 the value of y is also -4. Since these are the <BR>\n" );
document.write( "same there is zero change. When you substitute this change in y into the slope equation it <BR>\n" );
document.write( "becomes:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "slope = 0/8<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "and zero divided by 8 is zero. So the slope is zero.  What does this mean? It means that<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the line is a horizontal line because it has no slope up or down.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "You can convince yourself of this by plotting the two given points on a graph and then<BR>\n" );
document.write( "drawing a line connecting the two points. You should see that it is a horizontal line ...<BR>\n" );
document.write( "which means \"no slope\" or \"zero slope.\"  <BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Hope this helps you to understand the problem.  As you get more familiar with this concept<BR>\n" );
document.write( "you will just be able to look at a similar set of points and recognize that if there<BR>\n" );
document.write( "is a change in x values of two points, but no change in the y values of the two points, the<BR>\n" );
document.write( "slope is zero.<BR>\n" );
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