Question

Find the slope of the line containing the two points (1,−1) and (−5,−3). (1 point)

a
−1

b
−1/3

c
1/3

d
2

e
3

Answer 1

To find the slope of the line containing the two points \((1, -1)\) and \((-5, -3)\), we use the formula for the slope \(m\) between two points \((x_1, y_1)\) and \((x_2, y_2)\):

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

Here, we can assign:
- \( (x_1, y_1) = (1, -1) \)
- \( (x_2, y_2) = (-5, -3) \)

Plugging in the values:

\[
m = \frac{-3 - (-1)}{-5 - 1}
\]

This simplifies to:

\[
m = \frac{-3 + 1}{-5 - 1} = \frac{-2}{-6} = \frac{2}{6} = \frac{1}{3}
\]

Thus, the slope of the line is:

\[
\frac{1}{3}
\]

The correct answer is **c) \( \frac{1}{3} \)**.