find the slope of the line passing through the points $(-9, -3)$ and $(7, -7)$.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall slope formula

The slope $m$ between two points $(x_1,y_1)$ and $(x_2,y_2)$ is $m=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$

Step2: Assign coordinate values

Let $(x_1,y_1)=(-9,-3)$ and $(x_2,y_2)=(7,-7)$

Step3: Substitute into formula

$m=\frac{-7 - (-3)}{7 - (-9)}=\frac{-7+3}{7+9}$

Step4: Simplify the expression

$m=\frac{-4}{16}=\frac{-1}{4}$

Answer:

$\frac{-1}{4}$