What is the slope of the curve at point A?

The slope of the curve at point A is equal to the slope of the straight line BC. By finding the slope of the straight line BC, we have found the slope of the curve at point A.

To find the slope of the curve at a given point: (1) Identify two points on the line, (2) Select one to be (x1 , y1) and the other to be (x2, y2), then (3) use the equation: The tangent line contains the points B (1, 1) and C (3, 2). Using these points we calculate the slope at point A to be: So the slope of the curve at point A is 1/2 or .5.

Remember, this is the slope of the curve only at point A. To find the slope of the curve at any other point, we would need to draw a tangent line at that point and then determine the slope of that tangent line.

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