Why is m the symbol for slope

Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims. Archived Questions Goto Qn. In algebra, why does the letter M stand for slope? If it's from Latin or Greek or something, what is the word?

JReid Answer has 4 votes. JReid 21 year member replies Answer has 4 votes. M in equations is short for the Greek letter Mu.

I'm guessing that in that particular instance m indicates a multiplier of x. The letter m stands for slope because it comes from the French word monter, to climb.

Brainyblonde Answer has 11 votes. Brainyblonde 21 year member replies Answer has 11 votes. Currently voted the best answer. Why call slope m has been a question that has been researched by math historians but has not been answered definitively yet. Erica Voolich Many people have been taught that it comes from the French, "monter", to climb.

I think this is an "urban legend". Ask Question. Asked 9 years, 9 months ago. Active 2 years, 4 months ago. Viewed 2k times. Aryabhata Jim Jim 5 5 silver badges 14 14 bronze badges. There are a number of very good answers there. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Clive Newstead Clive Newstead I saw the MathWorld page, I was hoping someone knew more than what was written there. Premraj Premraj 4 4 bronze badges.

So I like to think of the "m" as standing for "matrix". Steven Gubkin Steven Gubkin 7, 21 21 silver badges 45 45 bronze badges. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. The steep, forested slopes in Figure 1. Understanding slope means understanding two things: steepness and direction. You may also notice that the skaters are going down the ramp from the left to the right. The slope of a line is always positive. If two lines have the same slope, then they are the same line.

A steep line has negative slope. In math, slope is the ratio of the vertical and horizontal changes between two points on a surface or a line.