SLOPE OF A LINE

Objective:

Illustrates and finds the slope of a line given

two points, equation, and graph.
writes the linear equation
 What is a Line?
• A line is the set of points forming a straight
path on a plane
• The slant (slope) between any two points on
a line is always equal
• A line on the Cartesian plane can be
described by a linear equation y-axis

x-axis
 Definition - Linear Equation
• Any equation that can be put into the form
Ax + By  C = 0, where A, B, and C are
Integers and A and B are not both 0, is called
a linear equation in two variables.
• The graph will be a straight line.
• The form Ax + By  C = 0 is called standard
form (Integer coefficients all on one side = 0)
 Definition - Linear Equation
• The equation of a line describes all of the
points on the line
• The equation is the rule for any ordered pair
on the line
Examples:
1. 3x + 2y – 8 = 0 2. x – 7y + 2 = 0
(4, -2) is on the line (4, -2) is not on the line
(5, 1) is not on the line (5, 1) is on the line
Test the point by plugging the x and y into the equation
Slope

Slope describes the

direction of a line.
 Why is
this
needed
? Slope
If x1  x2, the slope of the line
through the distinct points P1(x1, y1)
and P2(x2, y2) is: Guard against 0 in
the denominator

rise change in y y 2  y1
slope   
run change in x x 2  x1
 Find the slope between (-3, 6) and (5, 2)
y-axis

(-3, 6)

(5, 2)
x-axis

Rise -4 -1
= =
Run 8 2
Calculate the slope between (-3, 6) and (5, 2)
x1 y1 x2 y2
y 2  y1
m We use the letter mm
x2  x1 to represent slope

( 2)  ( 6) - 4 - 1
m  
(5)  (-3) 8 2
 y 2  y1
m Find the Slopes
x2  x1
Yellow
29 -7 (3, 9)
m1  
11  3 8
Blue
2  (-2) 2
m2   (11, 2)
11  5 3
Red
- 2  9 - 11
m3   (5, -2)
53 2
Find the slope between (5, 4) and (5, 2).
x1 y1 x2 y2

y 2  y1
m
x2  x1
( 2)  ( 4) - 2
m 
(5)  (5) 0 STOP
This slope is undefined.
Find the slope between (5, 4) and (5, 2).
y

Rise -2
= = Undefined
Run 0
Find the slope between (5, 4) and (-3, 4).
x1 y1 x2 y2
y 2  y1
m
x2  x1
( 4)  ( 4) 0
m  0
(-3)  (5) -8

This slope is zero.

Find the slope between (5, 4) and (-3, 4).
y

Rise 0
= = Zero
Run -8
From these results we
can see...
• The slope of a vertical
line is undefined.
• The slope of a
horizontal line is 0.
 Find the slope of the line
4x - y = 8
First, find two points on the line

Let x = 0 to
find the
4 ( 0)  y  8 4 x  ( 0)  8
Let y = 0 to
find the
y-intercept.
-y 8 4x  8
x-intercept.

(0, -8) y  -8 (2, 0) x2

x1 y1 x2 y2

(0)  (-8) 8
m  4
( 2)  (0) 2
 Find the slope of the line
4x  y = 8 Here is an easier way
Solve 4x  y  8
for y. - y  -4 x  8
y  4x  8
When the equation is solved for y the
coefficient of the x is the slope.
We call this the slope-intercept form
y = mx + b
m is the slope and b is the y-intercept
 -3
Graph the line that goes through (1, -3) with m 
(1,-3)
4
y

x
 Sign of the Slope
Which have a
negative slope? Which have a
positive slope?
Undefined Red
Light Blue Green
White Blue

Zero
Slope
 Slope of Parallel Lines
• Two lines with the
same slope are parallel.
• Two parallel lines have
the same slope.
Are the two lines parallel?
L1: through (-2, 1) and (4, 5) and
L2: through (3, 0) and (0, -2)

(5)  (1) 4 2
m1   
( 4)  (-2) 6 3

(0)  (-2) 2 m1  m2
m2  
(3)  (0) 3  L1 L2
This symbol means Parallel
 -3
Perpendicular Slopes m1  4
4 m2 
3
y

x
What can we say
about the intersection
of the two white lines?
 Slopes of Perpendicular Lines
• If neither line is vertical then the slopes of
perpendicular lines are negative reciprocals.
• Lines with slopes that are negative reciprocals
are perpendicular.
• If the product of the slopes of two lines is -1
then the lines are perpendicular.
• Horizontal lines are perpendicular to vertical
lines.
Write parallel, perpendicular or neither for the
pair of lines that passes through (5, -9) and (3, 7)
and the line through (0, 2) and (8, 3).
(7 )  (-9) 16
m1    -8
(3)  (5) -2
(3)  ( 2) 1  -8   1  -8
m2        -1
(8)  (0) 8 1 8 8

m1  m2  -1
This symbol means Perpendicular
 L1  L2
Solve for the slope and graph
The Equation of a Line
 Objectives
• Write the equation of a line, given its
slope and a point on the line.
• Write the equation of a line, given two
points on the line.
• Write the equation of a line given its
slope and y-intercept.
 Objectives
• Find the slope and the y-intercept of a
line, given its equation.
• Write the equation of a line parallel or
perpendicular to a given line through a
given point.
 Slope-intercept Form
y = mx + b
m is the slope and b is the y-intercept

Objective
Write the equation of a line, given its slope
and a point on the line.
 Write the equation of the line
with slope m = 5 and y-int -3
Take the slope intercept form y = mx + b
Replace in the m and the b y = mx
5x ++-3
b
Simplify y = 5x – 3

That’s all there is to it… for this easy question

 Find the equation of the line
through (-2, 7) with slope m = 3
x y m
Take the slope intercept form y = mx + b
Replace in the y, m and x 7y = 3(-2)
mx++b+b b
3x
Solve for b 7 = -6 + b
7+6=b
13 = b
Replace m and b back into
slope intercept form y = 3x + 13
 Write an equation of the line
through (-1, 2) and (5, 7).
y 2  y1 72 5
First calculate the slope. m  
x2  x1 5  (-1) 6

Now plug into y, m and x into

y2  56mx
( -1)bb
slope-intercept form.
(use either x, y point) 2  -65  b
2  56  b Only replace
Solve for b the m and b
17  b
6
Replace back into slope-intercept form y  56 x  17
6
 Horizontal and
Vertical Lines
• If a is a constant,
the vertical line
though (a, b) has (a, b)
equation x = a.
• If b is a constant,
the horizontal line
though ( a, b,) has
equation y = b.
Write the equation of the line
through (8, -2); m = 0
Slope = 0 means the line is horizontal

y  -2
That’s all there is!
Find the slope and
2x  5y  1
y-intercept of
2x – 5y = 1 2x 1  5y
5 5 5
Solve for y and 2 1
then we will be x  y
able to read it from 5 5
the answer. 2 1
y x
5 5
2 -1
Slope: m y-int:
5 5
Write an equation for the line
through (5, 7) parallel to 2x – 5y = 15.
2 x  5 y  15
2 x  15  5 y
2 x 15 5 y
 
5 5 5
2 2
x3 y m 
5 5
Write an equation for the line
through (5, 7) parallel to 2x – 5y = 15.
We know the slope and
2 (5) b b
y7  mx
we know a point. 5
2 7=2+b
m
5 7–2=b
( 5, 7 ) 5=b

y  52 x  5
Write an equation for the line
through (5, 7) parallel to 2x – 5y = 15.

2
y  x5
5

2 x  5 y  15
2
y  x3
5
 The slope of the perpendicular.
• The slope of the perpendicular line is the
negative reciprocal of m
• Flip it over and change the sign.
Examples of slopes of perpendicular lines:
2 1 -7
-2 2.4 2
3 5
2 1 = -5 -2  1 12 -7  2
3 5 1 2 5 2 7
Note: The product of perpendicular slopes is -1
 What about the special cases?
• What is the slope of The slope of a line
the line perpendicular  to a horizontal
to a horizontal line? line is undefined.

0
Well, the slope of a
horizontal line is 0… 0 1
So what’s the negative 0
reciprocal of 0?
1
Anything over
zero is undefined
 Write an equation in for the line through (-8, 3)
perpendicular to 2x – 3y = 10.

Isolate y to find the slope: 2x – 3y

2x = 10 + 3y
2x – 10 = 3y slope  2
3 3 3 3
We know the perpendicular -3 ( -8b)  b
3y  mx
slope and we know a point. 2
3 = 12 + b
-3
m2  3 – 12 = b
2
-9 = b
( -8, 3) answer : y  -3 x  9
2
 Write an equation in standard form for the
line through (-8, 3) perpendicular to
2x - 3y = 10.

2 10
y  x
3 3
-3
y  x9
2
 Summary
• Slope-intercept form

y  mx  b
• y is isolated
• Slope is m.
• y-intercept is (0, b)
 Summary
• Vertical line
– Slope is undefined
– x-intercept is (a, 0) xa
– no y-intercept

• Horizontal line
– Slope is 0. yb
– y-intercept is (0, b)
– no x-intercept