16Hit1600
Advanced MathVery hardSlope of a linear difference

Advanced Math practice question

The graph of y = (x + 3)(x − 3) − (x − 3)² in the xy-plane is a line. What is the slope of that line?

Answer: 6

(x² − 9) − (x² − 6x + 9) = 6x − 18: a line with slope 6.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 1
1 would be the slope if the x² terms had not cancelled and been mistaken for a line.
If you answered -18
−18 is the y-intercept, not the slope.
If you answered -6
−6 has the wrong sign; subtracting −6x gives +6x.

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