Part (a)
When x = 1 it leads to y = 5. It means the point (1,5) is on the curve. This is one of the endpoints we'll focus on. The other endpoint is (4,4)
Let's find the slope of the line through endpoints (1,5) and (4,4)
[tex]\text{Given Points: }(x_1,y_1) = (1,5) \text{ and } (x_2,y_2) = (4,4)\\\\m = \text{slope} = \frac{\text{rise}}{\text{run}} = \frac{\text{change in y}}{\text{change in x}}\\\\m = \frac{\text{y}_{2} - \text{y}_{1}}{\text{x}_{2} - \text{x}_{1}}\\\\m = \frac{4 - 5}{4 - 1}\\\\m = \frac{-1}{3}\\\\[/tex]
The answer to part (a) is -1/3
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Part (b)
Follow similar steps as the previous part.
This time you'll use the endpoints (2,3) and (5,7)
The answer to part (b) is 4/3
