SAT Math : How to find slope of a line

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #115 : Coordinate Geometry

What is the slope of a line which passes through coordinates \dpi{100} \small (3,7) and \dpi{100} \small (4,12)?

Possible Answers:

\dpi{100} \small \frac{1}{2}

\dpi{100} \small 3

\dpi{100} \small 5

\dpi{100} \small \frac{1}{5}

\dpi{100} \small 2

Correct answer:

\dpi{100} \small 5

Explanation:

Slope is found by dividing the difference in the \dpi{100} \small y-coordinates by the difference in the \dpi{100} \small x-coordinates.

\dpi{100} \small \frac{(12-7)}{(4-3)}=\frac{5}{1}=5

Example Question #116 : Coordinate Geometry

What is the slope of the line represented by the equation 6y-16x=7 ?

Possible Answers:

\frac{8}{3}

16

-16

6

\frac{7}{6}

Correct answer:

\frac{8}{3}

Explanation:

To rearrange the equation into a y=mx+b format, you want to isolate the y so that it is the sole variable, without a coefficient, on one side of the equation.

First, add 11x to both sides to get 6y=7+16x .

Then, divide both sides by 6 to get y=\frac{7+16x}{6} .

If you divide each part of the numerator by 6, you get y=\frac{7}{6}+\frac{16x}{6} . This is in a y=b+mx form, and the m is equal to \frac{16}{6}, which is reduced down to \frac{8}{3} for the correct answer.

Example Question #117 : Coordinate Geometry

What is the slope of the given linear equation?

2x + 4y = -7

Possible Answers:

1/2

-2

-7/2

-1/2

Correct answer:

-1/2

Explanation:

We can convert the given equation into slope-intercept form, y=mx+b, where m is the slope. We get y = (-1/2)x + (-7/2)

Example Question #91 : Algebra

What is the slope of the line:

 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

First put the question in slope intercept form (y = mx + b):  

(1/6)y = (14/3)x  7 =>

y = 6(14/3)x  7

y = 28x  7.

The slope is 28.

Example Question #119 : Coordinate Geometry

What is the slope of a line that passes though the coordinates (5,2) and (3,1)?

Possible Answers:

-\frac{1}{2}

-\frac{2}{3}

\frac{2}{3}

4

\frac{1}{2}

Correct answer:

\frac{1}{2}

Explanation:

The slope is equal to the difference between the y-coordinates divided by the difference between the x-coordinates.

Use the give points in this formula to calculate the slope.

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Slope Of A Line

What is the slope of a line running through points and ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The slope is equal to the difference between the y-coordinates divided by the difference between the x-coordinates.

Use the give points in this formula to calculate the slope.

Example Question #121 : Coordinate Geometry

Solve each problem and decide which is the best of the choices given.

Find the slope of the line for the given equation.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

For this problem, you have to solve for . We want to get the equation in slope-intercept form,

 where  represents the slope of the line.

 

First subtract  from each side to get

.

Then divide both sides by  to get

The slope is the number in front of , so the slope is .

Example Question #122 : Coordinate Geometry

Point  is at  and point  is at . What is the slope of the line that connects the two points?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The purpose of this question is to understand how the slope of a line is calculated.

The slope is the rise over the run, meaning the change in the y values over the change in the x values

.

So, the difference in y values divided by the difference in x values yields 

.

Example Question #123 : Coordinate Geometry

The following two points are located on the same line. What is the slope of the line? 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The slope  of a line with two points  and  is given by the following equation: 

Let  and . Substituting these values into the equation gives us:

Example Question #124 : Coordinate Geometry

Axes

Figure NOT drawn to scale

On the coordinate axes shown above, the shaded triangle has area 16. 

Give the slope of the line that includes the hypotenuse of the triangle.

Possible Answers:

None of the other choices gives the correct response.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The length of the horizontal leg of the triangle is the distance from the origin  to , which is 4.

The area of a right triangle is half the product of the lengths of its legs  and , so, setting  and  and solving for :

Since this is the vertical distance from the origin, this is also the absolute value of the -coordinate of the -intercept of the line; also, this point is along the positive -axis. The line has -intercept .

The slope of a line, given the intercepts , is 

,

Substitute  and :

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