what does the slope of the secant line represent
Secant line A secant may be used to approximate the tangent to a curve, at some point P. If the secant to a curve is defined by two points, P and Q, with P fixed and Q variable, as Q approaches P along the curve, the direction of the secant approaches that of the tangent at P (assuming that the first derivative of the curve is continuous at point P so that there is only one tangent).[1] As a consequence, one could say that the limit, as Q approaches P, of the secant's slope, or direction, is that of the tangent. In calculus, this idea is the basis of the geometric definition of the derivative.