This graph shows the distance a car traveled in miles as a function of time in minutes.

What is the slope of this highlighted line segment?
x
y
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Time (min)
Distance traveled (miles)
The slope is
.

1 answer

To find the slope of a line segment on a graph, you need to use the formula for slope, which is:

\[ \text{slope} = \frac{\text{change in } y}{\text{change in } x} = \frac{\Delta y}{\Delta x} \]

In your case, the values will refer to distance (y) as a function of time (x).

To determine the slope of the highlighted line segment:

  1. Identify the two endpoints of the segment on the graph. Let's assume they are \((x_1, y_1)\) and \((x_2, y_2)\).
  2. Calculate the change in distance (Δy) and the change in time (Δx):
    • \(\Delta y = y_2 - y_1\)
    • \(\Delta x = x_2 - x_1\)
  3. Plug these changes into the slope formula to find the slope.

For example, if the line segment goes from (2, 1) to (4, 3):

  • \(\Delta y = 3 - 1 = 2\)
  • \(\Delta x = 4 - 2 = 2\)
  • Slope \( = \frac{2}{2} = 1\)

Please provide the exact coordinates of the highlighted segment to calculate the slope accurately.