Gradient of a straight line

The gradient tells us how steep a line is, therefore the bigger the gradient the steeper the line is.

A positive gradient is a straight line which slopes up to the right.

A negative gradient is a straight line which slopes down to the right.

The gradient formula with coordinates

The gradient of the line joining A({x_1},{y_1}) to B({x_2},{y_2}) is written {m_{AB}}.

{m_{AB}} = \frac{{{y_2} - {y_1}}}{{{x_2} - {x_1}}}

Diagram of a gradient line joining A(x1, y1) to B(x2, y2)