223k views
10 votes
The slope of a given line is. 3/5 What is the slope of the line parallel / perpendicular to

it? Write your answer as a fraction in simplest form.

The slope of a given line is. 3/5 What is the slope of the line parallel / perpendicular-example-1

1 Answer

10 votes

Perpendicular lines have negative reciprocal slopes. That means the fraction is flipped and multiplied by negative 1. So if one line has a slope of 3/5, then a line perpendicular to it has a slope of -5/3.

A line perpendicular to another has a slope that is the negative reciprocal of the slope of the other line. The negative reciprocal of the original line is –2, and is thus the slope of its perpendicular line

User Jodaka
by
4.9k points