In slope-intercept form, which variable represents the slope?

In slope-intercept form, which is expressed as ( y = mx + b ), the variable that represents the slope is denoted by ( m ). The slope is a crucial component of this equation as it indicates the rate of change of the dependent variable ( y ) with respect to the independent variable ( x ). Essentially, it describes how much ( y ) changes for a one-unit increase in ( x ).

The other variables serve different purposes: ( y ) represents the dependent variable, ( b ) is the y-intercept (the value of ( y ) when ( x = 0 )), and ( x ) is the independent variable. Therefore, the designation of ( m ) as the slope is key to understanding how linear relationships behave in a graphically represented form.