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Question 416507: Hi what happens to the value obtained for the slope if the coordinates of the two ordered pairs are not subtracted in the same order?
Can you give an example to show me.
Thanks a million :o)
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Say you have the two points (1,2) and (3,4). Subtracting the y coordinates (2nd - 1st) gives you 4-2 = 2. Subtracting the x coordinates (in the same order) gives you 3-1 = 2. So the slope is 2/2 = 1
However, if you subtract the x coordinates in the opposite order, then you get 2-4 = -2 which means that you'll get 2/(-2) = -1, which is NOT the correct answer. This shows us that it's crucial to subtract the coordinates in the same order.
If you need more help, email me at jim_thompson5910@hotmail.com
Also, please consider visiting my website: http://www.freewebs.com/jimthompson5910/home.html and making a donation. Thank you
Jim
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