Answer:
slope = 5
Step-by-step explanation:
For a straight line, slope = change in vertcal coordinate/change in horizontal component. Students sometimes remember this as "rise over run", because it measures how much the graph rises (up for positive or down for negative) for every unit it 'runs' to the right.
Pick any two different points from the graph, for example (x,y) = (24, 120) and (x,y) = (4, 20).
The change in y = 120-20 = 100
The change in x = 24-4 = 20
(It doesn't matter which point's coordinates you put first in the subtractions, as long as it is the <u>same</u> point in both the numerator and the denominator.)
slope = (change in y)/(change in x) = (120-20)/(24-4) = 100/20 = 5
If you first look at the graphic in this problem, you might think the slope is 1, because the line goes up 1 square for every square you go to the right. But that is because of the scale on the two axes. The x-axis coordinate only increases by 4 units for each block to the right that you move. But the the y-axis coordinate increases by 20 units for each block up that you move. Thus, a block on the y-axis is equivalent to 5 blocks on the x-axis!
In math terminology, you may see slope written as m = Δy/Δx, because the usual variable for slope is 'm' and the Greek letter delat 'Δ' is sued in math, scince, and enginerring as a symbol for 'change'.
Hope this is a good explanation for you.
