No one knows for sure, but this is an assortment of ideas I have heard. One idea is that the first letter for the Greek word for slope is m, but no one knows if there is any correlation between the two. Another idea is that the French word for slope (monter) starts with a m, but it is not proven that there is a relationship (again). Another idea is that the old word for slope was modulus of slope (modulus being used in the sense of "number used to measure"), and the m was carried over. Yet another idea I have heard is there is no real reason.
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if you know the slope of two epuations, (if the equations are in slope intercept form (y=mx+b, y is the dependent variable, x is the independent variable, m is the slope, and b is the y-intercept) the line represented by the line with the larger slope (|m|) has the steeper slope. If the lines have the same m, the slopes are either equal or negative. If the slope of either line is undefined, it is steeper than any slope other than one that is undefined, in wich the slopes are equal
remember that your slope is equal to the number in front of the x. in this case the m is in front of the x. therfore you equation is y=15x the letter "m" is usually used to indicate slope!
It is not documented why the letter m was chosen for slope. However, mathematician John Conway suggested that m could mean 'modulus of slope'.
In slope intercept form, m IS the slope. y = mx + b slope is change in height divided by change in x direction.
Horizontal lines always have a slope of 0.