Question

find the slope of the line passing through the points (-5, -2) and (3, -9).

Explanation:

Step1: Recall slope formula

The slope $m$ between two points $(x_1,y_1)$ and $(x_2,y_2)$ is $m=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$

Step2: Assign values to variables

Let $(x_1,y_1)=(-5,-2)$ and $(x_2,y_2)=(3,-9)$. Substitute into formula:
$m=\frac{-9 - (-2)}{3 - (-5)}$

Step3: Simplify numerator and denominator

Numerator: $-9 - (-2) = -9 + 2 = -7$
Denominator: $3 - (-5) = 3 + 5 = 8$
$m=\frac{-7}{8}$

Answer:

$\frac{-7}{8}$