CurriculumGrade 8Mathematics

Proportional Relationships & Slope

Aligned to 8.EE.B.5 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

What this lesson teaches

A proportional relationship graphs as a straight line through the origin, and its unit rate is the slope. Comparing the slopes of two relationships tells you which one grows faster.

Worked example

Car A travels 120 miles in 2 hours, so its unit rate is 120 ÷ 2 = 60 mph (slope 60). Car B's graph rises 50 miles every 1 hour (slope 50). Since 60 > 50, Car A is faster.

Practice questions

  1. Find the unit rate (slope) for 45 words typed in 3 minutes.
  2. A line passes through (0, 0) and (4, 10); what is its slope?
  3. Store A charges $9 for 3 lb; Store B's graph shows $8 for 2 lb. Which has the better unit price?

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Relaciones Proporcionales y Pendiente

Una relación proporcional se grafica como una recta que pasa por el origen, y su tasa unitaria es la pendiente. Comparar las pendientes de dos relaciones indica cuál crece más rápido.

Ejemplo: El auto A recorre 120 millas en 2 horas, así que su tasa unitaria es 120 ÷ 2 = 60 mph (pendiente 60). La gráfica del auto B sube 50 millas por cada hora (pendiente 50). Como 60 > 50, el auto A es más rápido.

More Expressions & Equations lessons

Slope & Linear Equations (y = mx + b)8.EE.B.6Systems of Linear Equations8.EE.C.8Exponents and Scientific Notation8.EE.A.1Square Roots & Cube Roots8.EE.A.2Scientific Notation & Magnitude8.EE.A.3Operations in Scientific Notation8.EE.A.4

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