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Slope Formula

The slope formula provides a way to calculate the slope of a line directly from the coordinates of any two points on it, without needing to graph the line or count grid squares. For two points (x1,y1)(x_1, y_1) and (x2,y2)(x_2, y_2), the slope is:

m=y2y1x2x1m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}

In words: the yy-coordinate of the second point minus the yy-coordinate of the first point, divided by the xx-coordinate of the second point minus the xx-coordinate of the first point.

This formula is equivalent to m=riserunm = \frac{\text{rise}}{\text{run}} because the rise between two points equals the difference of their yy-coordinates (y2y1y_2 - y_1), and the run equals the difference of their xx-coordinates (x2x1x_2 - x_1). For example, between the points (2,3)(2, 3) and (7,6)(7, 6), the rise is 63=36 - 3 = 3 and the run is 72=57 - 2 = 5, giving m=35m = \frac{3}{5}.

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Updated 2026-05-03

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