We have all seen problems where people use the last four lines of a worksheet to find the slope of their answers. When asked, “Find the slope of the line A on the left-hand side of the chart, B, and C on the right side?” They say they are unable to solve the problem.
It is interesting how some of the tools that people find at work to provide them with this ability. One of those tools is the spreadsheet that the instructor provided in the classroom.
So if you are using that worksheet, the answer to the question, “Find the slope of the line A on the left-hand side of the chart, B, and C on the right side?” Is obvious. It is a right triangle. This makes perfect sense, because it is easy to understand, and there is an equation for the slope.
In order to prove that the slope of the line A on the left-hand side of the chart is equal to B and C on the right-hand side, you must show that the slope of the line A is equal to the square of B and the square of C. You cannot do that if you use the last four lines of the worksheet. Why? Because the slope of line A is dependent on line B and line C, and those lines come after the line A, not before it.
The slope of the line A comes from the slope of the line B and the slope of line C. Therefore, you can’t do it with the last four lines. You cannot make the slope of the line A equal to B and C if you use the last four lines.
So why do people do it with the last four lines? It is a quick way to get the answer. But it is not a good way to do your homework or solve problems.
To find the slope of a right-angle triangle, you do the following: You must make a line from A to B. Then you must draw a line from B to C, and if the answer is right triangle, then the answer to the right triangle will be equal to the square of B and the square of C.
But if the answer is a square, you do not know if the right-angle triangle is right-triangle, square, or otherwise. That is, you do not know what shape it is. That is why we say that it is wrong to use the last four lines in your worksheet, but it is also important to understand that there are some situations where the last four lines can be used.
