Math 1 · Unit 3 · Lesson 1 · part 1 of 6
The Words We Use
The vocabulary for this lesson, in one place.
Words we use
| Word | Plain English | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Slope | The rate of change: how much y changes for each step of x. Rise over run. | Pick two points, count or subtract, divide, simplify. |
| Rise | The change in the output: how much y went up or down. The top of the fraction. | Second y minus first y. Down is negative. |
| Run | The change in the input: how far you moved to the right. The bottom of the fraction. | Second x minus first x, same order. |
| Positive slope | Climbing, left to right. | The rise was up. |
| Negative slope | Falling, left to right. | The rise was down. |
| Zero slope | Flat: a horizontal line. y never changes. | Rise 0. |
| Undefined slope | A vertical line, straight up and down. Run 0, and you cannot divide by 0. | Say it has no slope. |
| Steeper | A bigger size of slope, ignoring the sign. Slope 3 is steeper than slope 1. | Compare sizes for steepness, signs for direction. |