What is the slope of the line represented by the equation y = 7?

1 Answer
Patrick H.
Jul 30, 2016

If we tried to find the slope, we would get a number divided by 0. Dividing by 0 is impossible, so the slope is undefined .

Explanation:

Let's say we chose two points on the line, (7,-2) and (7,9) for example. Let's try to find the slope. This is our equation:

#(y_2-y_1)/(x_2-x_1)#

Let's now substitute the variables for numbers:

#y_2=9#
#y_1=-2#
#x_2=7#
#x_1=7#

#(9--2)/(7-7)=11/0#

As you can see, the number (#11#) is divided by 0. We all know that dividing by 0 is impossible. When we have situations like these, we call the slope undefined. Therefore, our slope is undefined.

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