Question

What is the slope of the line that contains the points (2, −8) and (−4, 4)?

2
one half
negative one half
−2

Answer 1

To find the slope of the line that contains the points \((2, -8)\) and \((-4, 4)\), we can use the formula for the slope \(m\):

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

In this case, we can assign:
- \( (x_1, y_1) = (2, -8) \)
- \( (x_2, y_2) = (-4, 4) \)

Now plug in the values into the formula:

\[
m = \frac{4 - (-8)}{-4 - 2}
\]

Calculating the differences:

\[
m = \frac{4 + 8}{-4 - 2} = \frac{12}{-6}
\]

Now simplify:

\[
m = -2
\]

So, the slope of the line that contains the points \((2, -8)\) and \((-4, 4)\) is \(-2\).

The correct answer is: **−2**.