1. **State the problem:** Calculate the slope of the line passing through the points $(1400, 17)$ and $(1700, 14)$ where the horizontal axis represents calories and the vertical axis represents BMI. 2. **Formula for slope:** The slope $m$ is given by the formula: $$m = \frac{\text{Rise}}{\text{Run}} = \frac{\text{Vertical Change}}{\text{Horizontal Change}} = \frac{V_2 - V_1}{H_2 - H_1}$$ where $(H_1, V_1)$ and $(H_2, V_2)$ are the coordinates of the two points. 3. **Substitute the values:** $$m = \frac{14 - 17}{1700 - 1400}$$ 4. **Calculate the differences:** $$m = \frac{-3}{300}$$ 5. **Simplify the fraction:** $$m = \frac{\cancel{-3}}{\cancel{300}} = -\frac{1}{100}$$ 6. **Interpretation:** The slope is $-\frac{1}{100}$, meaning for every increase of 100 calories, the BMI decreases by 1 unit. **Final answer:** $$m = -\frac{1}{100}$$