If the equation of a line is given as y = mx + b, what does 'm' represent?

If the equation of a line is given as y = mx + b, what does 'm' represent?

Step 1: Understand that the equation y = mx + b is a way to describe a straight line on a graph.
Step 2: Identify the parts of the equation: 'y' is the vertical position, 'x' is the horizontal position, 'b' is where the line crosses the y-axis, and 'm' is what we are focusing on.
Step 3: Recognize that 'm' tells us how steep the line is. This is called the slope.
Step 4: Remember that if 'm' is positive, the line goes up as you move to the right. If 'm' is negative, the line goes down as you move to the right.
Step 5: Conclude that 'm' represents the slope of the line.

Slope-Intercept Form – The equation y = mx + b represents a linear equation where 'm' is the slope and 'b' is the y-intercept.