Example

Finding the Slope of the Line Between (−2,−3)(-2, -3) and (−7,4)(-7, 4)

To calculate the slope of the line that passes through the points (−2,−3)(-2, -3) and (−7,4)(-7, 4), we apply the slope formula: m=y2−y1x2−x1m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}. First, we designate one point as (x1,y1)(x_1, y_1), such as (−2,−3)(-2, -3), and the other point as (x2,y2)(x_2, y_2), such as (−7,4)(-7, 4). Substituting these coordinates into the formula gives m=4−(−3)−7−(−2)m = \frac{4 - (-3)}{-7 - (-2)}. Since subtracting a negative number is equivalent to adding a positive number, the numerator evaluates to 4+3=74 + 3 = 7, and the denominator evaluates to −7+2=−5-7 + 2 = -5. Thus, the slope is m=−75m = -\frac{7}{5}. We can visually verify this calculation by plotting the points on a coordinate graph and drawing a right triangle. Moving from the first point to the second, the vertical rise is 77 units upward, while the horizontal run is −5-5 units (moving 55 units to the left). This gives the same ratio of rise over run, m=−75m = -\frac{7}{5}.

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Updated 2026-05-03

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