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What is the equation of a line that is perpendicular to the line y = (1/2)x + 2 and passes through the point (5, 2)?

User Lamma
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

To find the equation of a line that is perpendicular to the line y = (1/2)x + 2 and passes through the point (5, 2), the slope of the perpendicular line is -2. The equation of the line is y = -2x + 12.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the equation of a line that is perpendicular to the line y = (1/2)x + 2 and passes through the point (5, 2), we need to determine the slope of the perpendicular line. The given line has a slope of (1/2), so the perpendicular line will have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of (1/2). Therefore, the slope of the perpendicular line is -2.

Using the slope-intercept form of a linear equation, y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept, we can substitute the slope (-2) and the coordinates of the point (5, 2) into the equation to find the value of b.

2 = -2(5) + b

2 = -10 + b

b = 12

So the equation of the line that is perpendicular to y = (1/2)x + 2 and passes through the point (5, 2) is y = -2x + 12.

User Dan Polites
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