SOLUTION: How do you graph a line when you only know the slope? Example slope of -5.

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Question 285325: How do you graph a line when you only know the slope? Example slope of -5.
Answer by solver91311(24713) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


You don't. That is because you can't. That is because there are an infinite number of lines with any given slope. In order to uniquely determine any line you must either have the coordinates of 2 points that are on the line (from which you can calculate the slope) or the slope and the coordinates of one point on the line (from which you can calculate the coordinates of as many other points as you like)



Here are two lines with a slope of -5. To the right of the red line there are an infinity of lines with a slope of -5. To the left of the green line there is another infinity of lines with a slope of -5. In fact, between the two lines there is an infinity of lines with a slope of -5 and between any two of those lines, no matter how close they are, there is ANOTHER infinity of lines with a slope of -5.

John