Answer: -1/4 (choice C)
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Explanation:
Start at the point (0,1). This is the y intercept, which is where the graph crosses the y axis.
Then move down 1 and over to the right 4 spaces. We arrive at (4,0) which is the x intercept.
The process of "down 1, over to the right 4" can be thought of like this
rise/run = -1/4
rise = -1
run = 4
A rise of -1 indicates we go down 1 unit
The run of 4 means we move to the right 4 units
So that's why slope = rise/run = -1/4
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Here's another approach using the slope formula:
m = (y2-y1)/(x2-x1)
m = (0-1)/(4-0)
m = -1/4
I used the two points (0,1) and (4,0) as (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) respectively. This formula basically says "subtract the y coordinates, subtract the x coordinates in the same order, then divide the differences y over x".
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Side note: The line moving downhill, as we read from left to right, indicates a negative slope.
