A very similar problem is to find the slope (how steep it is) at any point on a curve. The slope of a "straight" line is easy to work out—it is simply how much it goes up ("y" or vertical) divided by how much it goes across ("x" or horizontal). If a line is parallel to the "x" axis, then its slope is zero. If a straight line went through (x,y) = (2,10) and (4,18), the line goes up 8 and goes across 2, so its slope is 8 divide 2, which is 4.