California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Math Practice Exam

What does the term 'slope' refer to in mathematics?

1. The length of a line segment

2. The steepness of a line on a graph

3. The distance between two points

4. The midpoint of a line

The correct answer is: The steepness of a line on a graph

The term 'slope' in mathematics refers to the steepness of a line on a graph. It is a measure of how much the y-coordinate of a point on the line changes for a given change in the x-coordinate. This concept is crucial in understanding linear functions, as the slope indicates the direction and angle of the line. A positive slope indicates that as one moves along the x-axis from left to right, the line rises, while a negative slope indicates that the line falls. The slope is often calculated as the rise over run, which is the change in the vertical direction (rise) divided by the change in the horizontal direction (run). In contrast, the other options refer to different concepts that do not define slope. Length of a line segment pertains to the measure of distance along a specific portion of a line, the distance between two points measures the straight line that connects them, and the midpoint of a line refers to the exact middle point that divides a segment into two equal parts. While all these concepts involve lines, they do not capture the idea of steepness, which is central to the definition of slope.