What is the slope of the line that contains the points (1, −9) and (−3, 3)?
a) 3
b) −3
c) one third
d) negative one third
To find the slope of the line that contains the points (1, −9) and (−3, 3), we can use the formula for slope:
slope = (y₂ - y₁) / (x₂ - x₁)
Plugging in the points (1, −9) for (x₁, y₁) and (−3, 3) for (x₂, y₂), we get:
slope = (3 - (-9)) / (−3 - 1)
slope = 12 / -4
slope = -3
Therefore, the slope of the line that contains the points (1, −9) and (−3, 3) is -3.
Option b) is correct: -3.