In your own words, explain the steps you would need to take to find slope from data in a table.

1 answer

To find the slope from data in a table, you would follow these steps:

  1. Identify Data Points: Look at the table and identify the pairs of values. Each row typically represents a point, with one value for the x-coordinate and one for the y-coordinate.

  2. Select Two Points: Choose two specific data points from the table. Let's call them (x1, y1) and (x2, y2).

  3. Use the Slope Formula: Apply the slope formula, which is: \[ \text{slope} (m) = \frac{(y2 - y1)}{(x2 - x1)} \] This formula calculates the change in the y-values (rise) over the change in the x-values (run).

  4. Calculate Changes:

    • Find the difference between the y-values: \( y2 - y1 \)
    • Find the difference between the x-values: \( x2 - x1 \)
  5. Compute the Slope: Insert the differences you calculated into the slope formula to get the value of the slope.

  6. Interpret the Slope: Finally, consider what the slope represents in the context of the data. A positive slope indicates an upward trend, while a negative slope indicates a downward trend.

By carefully following these steps, you can find the slope based on the data provided in the table.