How to find the Slope of a Graph in 5 Quick Steps

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How to Calculate the Slope of a Graph

Finding Slope from a Graph relies on knowing that Slope is a ratio between the difference in the y-values divided by the difference in the x-values. When finding the slope, you must first find the difference in y-values in the graph. In order to Calculate the Slope of a Graph you find two points on the line. You then count how many spaces you have to go up by or down by. If you go up, the y-difference is positive and if you go down the y-difference is negative.You must then find the difference in the x-values in the graph.You use the same two points as when you found the y-difference, except this time you could how many spaces you go left or right. If you go right, the x-difference is positive and if you go down the x-difference is negative. The last step is to divide the difference in the y-values by the difference in the x-values. Anytime you Find Slope from a Graph you must reduce the fraction if it can be reduced. You can download the Find the Slope Worksheet by clicking on the button on the right hand side of this page.

Common Core Standard: 8.F.C.4

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A Short Explanation of the Slope of a Graph Formula

In order to find Slope from a Graph you have to know that Slope is the ratio between the change in the y-values divided by the change in the x-values. When finding the slope, you should find the change in y-values. To find Slope from a Graph you have to find two points. Then you check what number of spaces you need to go up by. When you go up, the y-value is positive, when you go down the y-value is negative. Next you find the change in the x-values. You use the same points from when you found the y-value, with the exception of this time you could what number of spaces you go left or right. When you go right, the x-value is positive and when you go down the x-value is negative. The last step is to divide the change in the y-values by the change in the x-values. Whenever you Find Slope from a Graph you should reduce. We hope you found this explanation for how to find slope on a graph helpful.

5 Steps for Finding Slope from a Graph Worksheet Example

Find the change in the y-values.
If you go up, the y-value is positive. If you go down, the y-value is negative.
Find the change in the x-values.
If you go right, the x-value is positive. If you go left, the x-value is negative.
Divide your change in the y-values but the change in the x-values.

What is the Slope of a Graph? Practice Problems

Watch the video showing how to find Slope of a Graph Examples

Watch our free video on how to Find the Slope of a Graph. This video shows how to solve problems that are on our free Finding Slope from a Graph worksheet 8th grade that you can get by submitting your email above.

Watch the free Finding the Slope of a Graph video on YouTube here: How to find the Slope of a Graph

Video Transcript:

This video is about how to find the slope of a graph. You can get the worksheet used in this video for free by clicking on the link in the description below.

Here we are the first problem for how to find slope of a line. When talking about slope we have to remember that slope is equal to the rise of a equation divided by the run of the equation. Or the change in the Y values divided by the change in the x value.

In order to find the slope of this equation for the first problem, we have to find two points that are on the line. In order to do that you have to find spots on this line that cross the grid exactly. You’re looking at points of intersection where it crosses the grid perfectly. A good example of this would be right here at this point and then right here at this point and then right here at this point and so on. This is because they cross the grid perfectly. The points in between them are not good because they do not cross the grid at an exact spot.

Now looking at our points we have to figure out how we go from one point to the next. What we’re gonna do is we are going to draw how much we go up by and how much we go over by each time. Here we go up here we go over here’s our rise then our run here’s our rise then our run. Then we have to find what is the rise and then what is the run for this equation or rise each time is one because we’re going up one. This is up one this is up one this is up one. We go up one each time so the rise will be one. Then we have to find the run. How much do we go over by we go over by one two. We go over two spaces one two two spaces one two two spaces so the run has to be two.

Now we know that slope is equal to the rise divided by the run. We just take our rise which is one and we will write it on top of our fraction and then our run which is two and we will write it on the bottom of our fraction. Our slope for this problem is 1/2 or 1/2.

For number two we are given a new equation on the coordinate grid. In order to find the slope for this, we once again have to find the rise and we also have to find the run. In order to do that we are going to pick points on the line that cross the grid perfectly. If you look at our grid here and our line crosses right there perfectly, here perfectly, here, here, and so on. You could also go backwards if you wanted to.

Now when we do this we have to find the rise and we also have to find the run. We have to find how much we go up or down by and how much we go over by. In order to go from one point to the next in our example we start at this point we go down one we go over we go down one we go over 2 down 1 over 2 and so on. Our rise this time is down and because we’re going down that means the rise has to be negative. we’re going down 1 so our rise is negative 1. The rise will be negative 1 and then the run will go over 1, 2 spaces, 1 2 spaces so the run is 2. Just like in the first problem, the slope is the rise divided by the run. We will do the rise on top which is negative 1 divided by the run which is positive 2. Our slope for number 2 is negative 1/2. This video has been about how to find the slope in a graph and how to find slope of a line.