How does slope determine the end behavior of a linear function with an unrestricted domain?

The slope of a linear function determines its end behavior by indicating the direction in which the function's values increase or decrease as the input (x) approaches positive or negative infinity. A positive slope means the function rises to the right, leading to positive infinity as x increases, while a negative slope means it falls to the right, approaching negative infinity. If the slope is zero, the function remains constant, and its end behavior stays the same at all points. Thus, the slope directly influences whether the function trends upward, downward, or remains flat in the long run.