Question 48017: How do you find a slope of a graphed line?
Answer by longjonsilver(2297)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! of a straight line? Pick 2 points on the line, call them A and B with coordinates (a,b) and (c,d) respectively.
Gradient is DEFINED as (change in y)/(change in x) so we have (b-d)/(a-c) OR we could have done (d-b)/(c-a). It does not matter which way you do it, just decide and stick to it. DO NOT do (b-d)/(c-a) etc.
Pick one coordinate and go to the other for both x and y calculations.
If you have a curve, then you need to know at which point you need to find the gradient. Once you have been told, you need to draw a tangent to the curve at that point. This is a VERY subjective thing to do. In other words, it is open to a wide variety of possible tangents that people draw.
Once you have your tangent (a straight line at that point that only touches the curve at that point) you repeat the process i mentioned first.
Jon
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