What is the slope of the line through (0,0) and (5,-3)?

• A. -1
• B. 0
• C. -3/5
• D. -3/4

Answer: (C)

Slope is the rise per run between two points. For (0,0) and (5,-3), the vertical change is -3 - 0 = -3 and the horizontal change is 5 - 0 = 5. So the slope is (-3)/5 = -3/5. The negative sign shows the line falls as x increases, which matches these points. Other options would require different rise/run values (for example, a slope of -1 would need a rise of -5 with a run of 5; a slope of 0 would mean no vertical change; a slope of -3/4 would correspond to a rise of -3.75 over a run of 5), so -3/5 is the correct slope.