Final answer:
The equation of the vertical line that passes through the point (8, 2) is given by the formula x = a, where a is the constant x-coordinate for all points on the line. Because the line needs to pass through (8, 2), the equation is x = 8.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation of a vertical line is one that has the same x-coordinate for all of its points. Therefore, to find the equation of the vertical line that passes through the point (8, 2), we simply need to set the x-coordinate to be the same for every point on that line. This means the equation will be of the form x = a, where a is the constant x-coordinate for all points on the line.
Since we know the vertical line passes through the point (8, 2), the x-coordinate that remains constant on this line is 8. Thus, the equation of the vertical line through this point is x = 8.
It's also important to understand the difference between vertical and horizontal lines. A vertical line, such as the one we're discussing, will always have an equation in the form of x = a and does not depend on the y-coordinate. On the other hand, horizontal lines have equations in the form of y = b, where b is the fixed y-coordinate for all points on the line.
In this case, the correct answer to the question 'Find the equation of the vertical line passing through (8, 2)' is a) x = 8.