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Slopes of parallel/Purpendicular lines - What is the slope of a line parallel to the line whose equation is x + 2y = -14

User Vaske
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1 Answer

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Answer: -1/2

Step-by-step explanation:

First we solve for y.

x + 2y = -14

2y = -14 - x

2y = -x - 14

y = (-x - 14)/2

y = -x/2 - 14/2

y = (-1/2)x - 7

The equation is in slope intercept form y = mx+b

  • m = -1/2 = slope
  • b = -7 = y intercept

Parallel lines have equal slopes, but different y intercepts. This means the slope of any line parallel to this given one will have a slope of -1/2

For example, y = (-1/2)x + 10 is parallel to y = (-1/2)x - 7, since both have the same slope of -1/2 but different y intercepts.

User Mihajlv
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7.5k points