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Find the line perpendicular to
y = ³x - 2
3
that includes the point (6Ė9) .

1 Answer

6 votes

To find a line perpendicular to the given equation y = (1/3)x - 2 that passes through the point (6, -9), we need to determine the slope of the given equation and then find the negative reciprocal of that slope.

The given equation is in slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, where m represents the slope. In this case, the slope is 1/3.

To find the negative reciprocal of 1/3, we invert the fraction and change its sign. Therefore, the negative reciprocal is -3.

Now that we have the slope of the perpendicular line, we can use the point-slope form of a linear equation, y - y1 = m(x - x1), where (x1, y1) represents the coordinates of the given point.

Plugging in the values from the given point (6, -9) and the slope -3, we get:

y - (-9) = -3(x - 6)

Simplifying further:

y + 9 = -3x + 18

Now, let's rearrange the equation to slope-intercept form:

y = -3x + 18 - 9

y = -3x + 9

Therefore, the equation of the line perpendicular to y = (1/3)x - 2 that includes the point (6, -9) is y = -3x + 9.

User Florian Leitgeb
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