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math question.
okay i'm really confused on something. you know how when you graph ordered pairs you go x then y? so why do you do the opposite when your finding slope & stuff? i don't really understand that.
& please put your answer in simple terms. i'm stupid.
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When you think of the word slope, it basically means the steepness of an inclined plane or steepness of a stairway. Have you ever heard the expression "rise over run" from your teacher? The rise, being "y" on the coordinate plane would be that, and the run would be "x". It's just so. We find the vertical component over the horizontal one.
As an example for the calculation of slope, if on a line segment within the x-y plane the two endpoints are A = (x1, y1) = (1, 1) and B = (x2, y2) = (3, 2), then the slope, m, of the line AB is (2 - 1) / (3 - 1), or m = 1/2. This value means that the slope of the line increases one-unit step on the y-axis for each two-unit step on the x-axis.
M (slope) = y(2) - y(1)
----------
x(2) - y(1)
i tried not to make it so complicated, but that's just how math is.
hope i helped.
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slope is rise(y) over run(x). There's no reason it's like that, that's just how it works. Just like Pi is 3.14..., that's just the way the world works. You can say it's:
y2-y1
------- OR, if it helps you:
x2-x1
x2-x1
-(negative) -------
y2-y1
So if the two points are (3,4) and (2,1) you go
4-1
----
3-2
the slope is
3(rise)
--(over)
1(run)
you would graph a point on the line like this it like this(the graph will be off because advicenators changes font, but you'll get the idea):
y
-------------|---*----------
-------------|--------------
-------------|--------------
-------------|--*-----------
=============+==============x
-------------|--------------
-------------|-*------------
-------------|--------------
-------------|--------------
The bottom point is the extra one. It falls 3 and goes to the left 1 from the last point. If It was going up, it would rise 3 and go to the right 1. If you're having more trouble, you can send me a personal question with details.
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Because slope is the rise over the run. The X coordinate is the RUN (across) and the Y is the RISE (up).
It's just what the mathematical gods decided, I guess.
:)
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no good reason for the order, especially not for ordered pairs. its just convention.
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ah geometry.
i have no idea why they do that..i think its so you can shade it in or something...
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