The derivative of formula_1 at the point formula_2 is the slope of the tangent to formula_3. In order to gain an intuition for this, one must first be familiar with finding the slope of a linear equation, written in the form formula_4. The slope of an equation is its steepness. It can be found by picking any two points and dividing the change in formula_5 by the change in formula_6, meaning that formula_7. For, the graph of formula_8 has a slope of formula_9, as shown in the diagram below: