Use similar triangles to determine the slope of the line. Write your answer in fraction form.

first point (0, 0) second point (2, 1) third point (4, 2) fourth point (6, 3) fifth point (8, 4)

1 answer

To determine the slope of the line using similar triangles, we can look at the given points and recognize that they create a straight line.

The formula for the slope \( m \) of a line given two points \( (x_1, y_1) \) and \( (x_2, y_2) \) is:

\[ m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \]

Let's use the first two points (0, 0) and (2, 1) to calculate the slope:

  • \( (x_1, y_1) = (0, 0) \)
  • \( (x_2, y_2) = (2, 1) \)

Substituting these values into the formula gives us:

\[ m = \frac{1 - 0}{2 - 0} = \frac{1}{2} \]

Now, let's confirm that the slope remains the same as we use other pairs of points.

Using the second and third points (2, 1) and (4, 2):

  • \( (x_1, y_1) = (2, 1) \)
  • \( (x_2, y_2) = (4, 2) \)

Substituting these values gives:

\[ m = \frac{2 - 1}{4 - 2} = \frac{1}{2} \]

Using the third and fourth points (4, 2) and (6, 3):

  • \( (x_1, y_1) = (4, 2) \)
  • \( (x_2, y_2) = (6, 3) \)

Substituting these gives:

\[ m = \frac{3 - 2}{6 - 4} = \frac{1}{2} \]

Using the fourth and fifth points (6, 3) and (8, 4):

  • \( (x_1, y_1) = (6, 3) \)
  • \( (x_2, y_2) = (8, 4) \)

Substituting gives:

\[ m = \frac{4 - 3}{8 - 6} = \frac{1}{2} \]

All calculations yield the same slope, confirming that the slope of the line is:

\[ \boxed{\frac{1}{2}} \]