To find the slope of the line that passes through the points (1, 5) and (4, 1), we use the formula for the slope (m) between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2):
m = (y2 – y1) / (x2 – x1)
In this case, we can identify:
- (x1, y1) = (1, 5)
- (x2, y2) = (4, 1)
Substituting the values into the slope formula:
m = (1 – 5) / (4 – 1)
m = (-4) / (3)
Thus, the slope of the line is -4/3.
This negative value indicates that the line slopes downwards as it moves from left to right, reflecting that as x increases, y decreases.