Question

Find the equation of the line through the point (6, -1) that is perpendicular to the line with equation y =1/2x-12

Answer 1

Explanation:

First, since the line is perpendicular to the given one, the slopes are negative reciprocals. The slope of the equation we must write is -2.

Now, we can set up point slope form:

y-y1 = m(x-x1)

y + 1 = -2(x - 6)

Now, we can change that to slope intercept form:

y + 1 = -2(x - 6)

y + 1 = -2x + 12

y = -2x -11

Hope this helped :)

Answer 2

y + 1 = -2/1 (x - 6)

Explanation:

The above equation is written in point slope from. To find the slope of a line perpendicular to another line all you have to do is find the opposite reciprocal to the slope of the original line. The original line's slope is 1/2, the reciprocal is 2/1 and to create the opposite reciprocal you have to change the sign of the slope, so the new slope is -2/1. To finish the rest of the equation you plug in the points given to you in the question.