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what's an equation represents the line that is perpendicular to y = 5 x + 4 and passes through the point (- 5,2)

User Olexandr Akhtyrskyi
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1 Answer

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19 votes

Equation of the line

The equation of a line in slope-intercept form is:

y = mx + b

Where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

We are required to find the equation of a line that is perpendicular to the line

y = 5x + 4

and passes through the point (-5,2)

The first thing we need to do is to calculate the slope of the required line.

The slope of the given line is m1=5. Two lines are perpendicular if their slopes satisfy the equation:

m1 * m2 = -1

Solving for m2:


m_2=-(1)/(m_1)=-(1)/(5)

The equation of the required line is:


y=-(1)/(5)x+b

To find the value of b, we substitute the given point (-5,2):


2=-(1)/(5)(-5)+b

Operating:


2=1+b

Solving for b:

b = 1

Finally, our equation is:


y=-(1)/(5)x+1

User Sabir
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