Posts Tagged as "mnemonic device"
An easy way to remember the difference between a line with zero slope and a line with no slope
Monday, October 8th, 2012A lot of students get the concepts of “zero slope” and “no slope” confused when they’re first introduced.
Most students think something along the lines of, “They’re the same thing, right? Because zero equals nothing…..?????????? Wait… no, they’re totally different — BUT HOW DO I REMEMBER WHICH IS WHICH?”
Here is a super easy way to remember the difference:
Zero slope means that the line is horizontal. Just like the line that makes the top of a “Z” is horizontal.
No slope means that the line is vertical. Just like the line that makes the beginning of a “N” is vertical.
(If you’re interested in a mathematical explanation to go with the visual reminder, check out Elizabeth Stapel of PurpleMath’s lesson on slope. The part about zero slope and no slope is towards the bottom of the page.)
Many of my students have used this tip with great success — so spread the word! No one needs to be confused about this anymore!
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Related posts:
A visual way to solve elapsed-time problems
Gallon Man to the Rescue!
An easy way to remember how logarithmic notation works
“Interesting,” not “Complicated,” – math mantras part 2
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