text: lines and slopes and paralles? what is the slop of a line parallel to 2x+4y=-17? express your answer as a common fraction first you have to put the equation in slope-intercept form.  2x + 4y = -17 -2x           -2x  4y = -2x -17 /4      /4  y = -1/2x -17/4  slope-intercept form:  y = mx + b  m= slope b= y-intercept  so,  m = -1/2