Final answer:
To find the equation of line L, take the negative reciprocal of the slope from line k, which is 3/8, and use the point-slope form with the given point (-8, -5). The final equation of line L is y = 3/8 x + 2.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation of line k is given as y - 8 = -8/3 (x + 6). To find the equation of line L, which is perpendicular to line k and passes through point (-8, -5), we must first identify the slope of line k. The slope of line k is -8/3, so the slope of line L, which is perpendicular to line k, will be the negative reciprocal, which is 3/8.
Now that we have the slope of line L, we can use the point-slope form of a line to find its equation. Since line L passes through the point (-8, -5), we can express its equation as y - (-5) = 3/8 (x - (-8)).
Simplifying, we get y + 5 = 3/8 (x + 8). To express this in slope-intercept form, we distribute the 3/8 and move the 5 to the other side of the equation to get the final equation of line L: y = 3/8 x + 2.