Question

What is the slope of the line determined by the points (5,-3) and (-9,-6)?

A) 3/14 B) -3/14 C) 9/4 D) 14/3

Answer 1

Is it y=m+b form?

Answer 2

No. you have two points, call them \((x_1,y_1)\) and \((x_2,y_2)\)

The slope is given by the formula \[m = \frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}\]
It doesn't make a bit of difference which point you decide is \((x_1,y_1)\) — you just have to make sure you are consistent, and don't change them around for the bottom half of the fraction!

Answer 3

oh, ok

Answer 4

I would suggest a convention of using the first point listed as \((x_1,y_1)\) and the second point listed as \((x_2,y_2)\)

Answer 5

-6-3/-9-5

Answer 6

9/4

Answer 7

Nope. the first point is (5,-3), NOT (5,3)

Answer 8

They put that answer in there to catch people who aren't paying careful attention to their work.

Answer 9

oh

Answer 10

The actual equation is
\[m = \frac{-6-(-3)}{-9-5}\]

Do you see your two mistakes? One of them is in writing the equation, and the other in evaluating it.

Answer 11

let me do it again

Answer 12

I can't stop you :-)

Answer 13

I still got 9/4

Answer 14

-6-(-3)/(-9)-5=9/4

Answer 15

oh, I add the 9 and 5

Answer 16

The answer is A

Answer 17

no. what is -6 -(-3)?

Answer 18

9

Answer 19

let's go through this and brush up your arithmetic with negative numbers.

-6 - (-3) = -6 + 3. subtracting a positive number moves you to the left on the number line. subtracting a negative number moves you to the right on the number line.

Answer 20

I still don't understand why it's not 9

Answer 21

how could it possibly be 9? You aren't starting out with 6, you're starting out with -6.

if you owe me $6, and I decide to reduce your debt by $3, do you suddenly have $9 in your pocket?

Answer 22

oh, ok, I understand now

Answer 23

what is -9 -5?

Answer 24

14

Answer 25

no. again, if you owe me $9, and I reduce your debt by $5 (I subtract -$5 from your debt), do you suddenly have $14? I don't think so.

Answer 26

4

Answer 27

I thought if you have 2 negative numbers, they become positive

Answer 28

negative signs*

Answer 29

Draw a number line.

Answer 30

Let's do -3 - 1

Start at -3. Subtracting a positive number (we are subtracting +1) moves you to the left on the number line. -3 - (+1) takes you from -3 1 unit left to -4. -3 -1 = -4

Answer 31

What is -3 -3?

Answer 32

-5

Answer 33

So, it's like adding, but with negative signs

Answer 34

-5?!? If it's just like adding, is 3+3 =5 ?

Answer 35

-6 lol sorry

Answer 36

how old are you, btw?

Answer 37

15

Answer 38

I turn 16 in may

Answer 39

So, the answer is B?

Answer 40

\[m = \frac{-6-(-3)}{-9-5}\]

-6-(-3) =
-9-5 =

Answer 41

-3

Answer 42

I asked two questions there...

Answer 43

-14?

Answer 44

okay, what is -3/-14?
is that one of your answer choices, or the equivalent of one of them?

Answer 45

B?

Answer 46

do you think the - signs are just some sort of decoration that can be added or removed when the fancy strikes?

is b) -3/-14?

Answer 47

So, it's D?

Answer 48

as you typed it above, it appears to be -3/14

-3/14
-3/-14

same, or different?

Answer 49

diffrent

Answer 50

d) 14/3

14/3
-3/-14

same, or different?

Answer 51

same

Answer 52

really. 14 divided into 3 equal pieces is the same as -3 divided into -14 equal pieces?

Answer 53

ugh, this is soooo complicated

Answer 54

I would say A, but you said that was wrong

Answer 55

no, I didn't say that.

what is -3 * -1?

Answer 56

Yes you did, scroll up

Answer 57

no, I was responding to something else. some of your imaginative arithmetic.

Answer 58

what is -3 * -1?

Answer 59

-4

Answer 60

do you realize that this symbol: *
means multiply?

Answer 61

right, I new that

Answer 62

-3

Answer 63

So, the answer is A?

Answer 64

"knew", not "new"

if you knew that meant multiplication, why did you add the two numbers and give me -4 as the result?

what does -3*1 =, if -3*-1 = -3?

Answer 65

3

Answer 66

hmm. what does 2*3 = ?

Answer 67

isn't 2*3 the same as adding 3+3?

isn't 3*3 the same as adding 3+3+3?

isn't 1*3 the same as just having 3?

wouldn't by that same reasoning -3*1 = 1* -3 be the same as just having -3?

a positive number * a positive number gives you a positive number
a negative number * a positive number gives you a negative number
a negative number * a negative number gives you a positive number

-3*-1 = 3

-14*-1 = 14

we can multiply the numerator and denominator of a fraction by the same number (as long as it isn't 0) and not change the value at all.

\[\frac{-3}{-14} * \frac{-1}{-1} = \frac{3}{14}\]

The answer is \[\frac{3}{14}\]

Answer 68

2x3=6

Answer 69

I've been saying that for a while now, I said the answer was A

Answer 70

You weren't able to get through the steps to correctly determine that the answer was A. If you had had to write down the answer instead of choosing from a small list, you wouldn't have been able to get the correct answer. That's why I stayed around instead of just saying "okay, good job" and moving on to something else.

Answer 71

Ok, so maybe I guessed a little...