The gradient (or slope) of a line measures how steep the line is. It shows the change in the y-coordinate for a change in the x-coordinate.
If two points on a line are A(x₁, y₁) and B(x₂, y₂), then the gradient m is given by:
m =(y₂ - y₁) / (x₂ - x₁)
Example 1:
Find the gradient of the line passing through the points (2, 3) and (6, 7):
m = (7 – 3) / (6 – 2) = 4 / 4 = 1
So, the gradient of the line is 1.