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A line has a slope of - 7.

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(a) What is the slope of the line parallel to it?
(b) What is the slope of the line perpendicular to it?


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1 Answer

11 votes

Answer:

(a) m = -7

(b) m = 1/7

Explanation:

Since parallel lines never overlap, the slopes (m) must be equal. Therefore, a parallel line to a line with a slope of (m = -7) must also have a slope of (m = -7).

Perpendicular lines run opposite of parallel lines. As a result, the sign of the perpendicular slope must be the opposite. Since this slope is negative, the perpendicular slope must be positive. The actual numerical value of a perpendicular slope is equal to one over the slope. Therefore, if a line has a slope of (m = -7), the perpendicular line's slope must be (m = 1/7).

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