To find the rate of change (slope) of the linear function defined by the points \((-4, -2)\) and \((0, 0)\), we can use the slope formula:
\[ m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \]
Assigning the points where \((x_1, y_1) = (-4, -2)\) and \((x_2, y_2) = (0, 0)\), we can substitute into the formula:
\[ m = \frac{0 - (-2)}{0 - (-4)} = \frac{0 + 2}{0 + 4} = \frac{2}{4} = \frac{1}{2} \]
Expressed as a decimal, the rate of change is:
\[ 0.5 \]
Thus, the rate of change of Jakob's function is \(0.5\).