Finding Slopes

In class on Monday we learned about finding slopes on tables, graphs, or equations.

The first thing we did was find the slope of the two staircase measurements we took at home. First we put the rise over the run in fraction form and then we divided the rise by the run. The standard ratio is between 0.45 and 0.60 but most peoples ratios were greater. For example if the rise of a stair case was 6 inches and the run was 7 inches we would put that into the fraction 6/7 and into the ratio .86 this would not be within standards.

We then took notes on the slope of something learning that the slope is how much the y-axis increases or decreases or stays the same when the x-axis goes up by one. In the equation 6x+10=y the slope is 6. The slope is also called the rate of change which we have learned about previously.

We then learned that if the y-axis gets higher as the x-axis does it has a positive slope and if the y-axis gets lower as the x-axis increases it has a positive slope. Some examples of a positive slope are 3x+5=y, x-1=y, and 5x=y. Some examples of negative slopes are 6-9x=y, -7x=y, and -x+6=y.

Some examples of all of this are 9x+10=y, which has a positive slope and a slope of 9, -9x-8=y, which has a negative slope and a slope of -9, and 8=y which has no slope and a slope of 0.