Intro to Slope                   Page 3 of 4

Using a Graph to Find Slope

Step 1: Determine the type of slope (Positive, Negative, Zero, or Undefined).
Step 2: Find the Rise and the Run.  The rise is the amount of vertical change. The run is the amount of horizontal change.
Step 3: Write Rise/Run as a simplified fraction.

​Example 1   
​Find the slope of the line below.                           

Step 1: The line is going up to the right, so the slope is positive.  The y-values are increasing as x increases.
Step 2: Count the spaces up and over to find the rise and the run.  The line goes up 2 units and over 3 units so the rise is 2 and the run is 3.

​Step 3:  Slope is Rise/Run.  2/3 is already a simplified fraction, so this is the final answer for the slope.  Double check the sign of your answer. The slope should be positive because the line is going up to the right.

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