The slope of a line is [tex] \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} [/tex]. We have the points (3, -2) and (1, 8). Let's substitute those into the formula.
[tex] \frac{8 - (-2)}{1-3} [/tex]
subtracting a negative is the same as adding, so that makes our equation
[tex] \frac{8+2}{1-3} [/tex]
[tex] \frac{10}{-2} [/tex]
slope = -5
