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May I please get some help It may take me a while before I understand this

May I please get some help It may take me a while before I understand this-example-1
User Muthuraj
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1 Answer

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13 votes

Perpendicular lines and slopes

The slopes of two perpendicular lines are the negative reciprocals of each other.

This means if m1 is the slope of line 1 and m2 is the slope of line 2, then:

m1 * m2 = -1

We are given the slope m1=-3. To find the slope that is perpendicular to m1, we solve the equation for m2 as follows:


m_2=-(1)/(m_1)

Substituting m1=-3:


m_2=-(1)/(-3)=(1)/(3)

The required slope is 1/3

User Adam Johns
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