Question

What is the slope of a line that is perpendicular to the line whose equation is 2x−y=7?A. −1/2B. 3/2C. −3/2D. 1/2

Answer 1

We have the following line:

`\begin{gathered} 2x-y=7 \\ y=2x-7 \end{gathered}`

and we must determine the slope of its perpendicular line.

Slopes of two perpendicular lines, m1 and m2, have the following property:

`m_1\cdot m_2=-1`

Given the slope of the first line (the coefficient that multiplies the x):

`m_1=2`

and using the formula above for the slope of its perpendicular line, we get:

`\begin{gathered} m_1\cdot m_2=-1 \\ m_2=-(1)/(m_1) \\ m_2=-(1)/(2) \end{gathered}`

Answer

A. −1/2