Final answer:
The equation of the line that passes through (8,1) and is perpendicular to the line 2y + 4x = 12 is y = 1/2x - 3.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write an equation of a line that is perpendicular to another, you need to find the negative reciprocal of the original line's slope. First, let's get the slope of the given line 2y + 4x = 12. We can rewrite it in the slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.
By rearranging the equation 2y + 4x = 12, we have:
2y = -4x + 12
y = (-4/2)x + (12/2)
y = -2x + 6
The slope of the given line is -2. The slope of a line perpendicular to this will be the negative reciprocal, so m = 1/2. Now, using the point (8,1) that the new line passes through, we can use the point-slope form: y - y1 = m(x - x1), where (x₁, y₁) is a point on the line.
Here, x₁ = 8 and y₁ = 1, so we have:
y - 1 = 1/2(x - 8)
To write this in slope-intercept form, we distribute and rearrange:
y - 1 = 1/2x - 4
y = 1/2x - 3
This is the equation of the line that passes through (8,1) and is perpendicular to the line 2y + 4x = 12.