In this resource, you investigated different ways to determine the slope of a linear function. One of the most helpful ways to determine the slope is to use the slope formula.
Slope of a line = m =
y2 – y1
x2 – x1
,
where m represents the slope of the line.
If you are given a table or graph, the slope formula can indirectly be used by finding the ratio of the change in the y-values and the change in the x-values.
Slope = Δy over Δx Δy Δx = change in y over change in x Change in y Change in x
In a graph, the ratio of the change in y to the change in x is called rise over run. In a table, we can use the notation Δy over Δx Δy Δx to represent this ratio, where Δ is the Greek letter delta, which is used to mean "change in" a quantity.