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Write an equation of a line that passes through (-4,2) and is perpendicular to the line y= 2/7x - 8

User Bandook
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1 Answer

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A line that is perpendicular to another line has a slope that is the negative reciprocal of the original line. The slope of the line y = 2/7x - 8 is 2/7. To find the slope of the line that is perpendicular to it, we take the negative reciprocal of 2/7 which is -7/2.

We know that the line we're trying to find passes through the point (-4, 2), so we can use this point and the slope to write the equation of the line in point-slope form:

y - y1 = m (x - x1)

where (x1, y1) is the point the line passes through, m is the slope, and y and x are the coordinates of any point on the line.

So the equation of the line that passes through (-4,2) and is perpendicular to the line y= 2/7x - 8 is:

y - 2 = -7/2 (x + 4)

Simplifying this, we get

y = -7/2 x - 8

Therefore the equation of the line that passes through (-4,2) and is perpendicular to the line y= 2/7x - 8 is y = -7/2 x - 8

User Jerve
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