Finding the Slope of a Line Perpendicular to a Given Line

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 80 views

Introduction

In mathematics, the concept of slope is crucial in understanding the relationship between two lines. The slope of a line is a measure of how steep it is, and it can be calculated using the formula: $m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$ . However, when dealing with perpendicular lines, the slope of one line is the negative reciprocal of the other. In this article, we will explore the concept of perpendicular lines and how to find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line.

What are Perpendicular Lines?

Perpendicular lines are two lines that intersect at a right angle, which is 90 degrees. When two lines are perpendicular, their slopes are negative reciprocals of each other. This means that if the slope of one line is $m$ , the slope of the perpendicular line is $-\frac{1}{m}$ .

Finding the Slope of a Line Perpendicular to a Given Line

To find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line, we need to first find the slope of the given line. The given line is in the form of $Ax + By = C$ , where $A$ and $B$ are the coefficients of $x$ and $y$ respectively, and $C$ is the constant term. In this case, the given line is $2x + 4y = 12$ . To find the slope of this line, we need to rewrite it in the form of $y = mx + b$ , where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y-intercept.

Converting the Given Line to Slope-Intercept Form

To convert the given line to slope-intercept form, we need to isolate $y$ on one side of the equation. We can do this by subtracting $2x$ from both sides of the equation and then dividing both sides by $4$ . This gives us:

y = -\frac{1}{2}x + 3

Now that we have the equation in slope-intercept form, we can see that the slope of the given line is $-\frac{1}{2}$ .

Finding the Slope of the Perpendicular Line

Since the slope of the given line is $-\frac{1}{2}$ , the slope of the perpendicular line is the negative reciprocal of this value, which is $2$ . Therefore, the slope of the line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ .

Example

Let's consider an example to illustrate this concept. Suppose we have two lines, $2x + 4y = 12$ and $x - 2y = -3$ . We want to find the slope of the line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ . To do this, we need to first find the slope of the given line. We can do this by converting the equation to slope-intercept form:

y = -\frac{1}{2}x + 3

Now that we have the equation in slope-intercept form, we can see that the slope of the given line is $-\frac{1}{2}$ . Since the slope of the given line is $-\frac{1}{2}$ , the slope of the perpendicular line is the negative reciprocal of this value, which is $2$ . Therefore, the slope of the line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ .

Conclusion

In conclusion, the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ . This is because the slope of the given line is $-\frac{1}{2}$ , and the slope of the perpendicular line is the negative reciprocal of this value. We can find the slope of the perpendicular line by converting the given line to slope-intercept form and then finding the negative reciprocal of the slope.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ ?
The slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ .
How do I find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line?
To find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line, you need to first find the slope of the given line by converting it to slope-intercept form. Then, you can find the negative reciprocal of the slope to get the slope of the perpendicular line.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we explored the concept of perpendicular lines and how to find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line. We saw that the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ . We also discussed how to find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line by converting the given line to slope-intercept form and then finding the negative reciprocal of the slope.

Introduction

In our previous article, we discussed the concept of perpendicular lines and how to find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line. We saw that the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ . In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions related to this topic.

Q&A

Q: What is the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ ?

A: The slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ .

Q: How do I find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line?

A: To find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line, you need to first find the slope of the given line by converting it to slope-intercept form. Then, you can find the negative reciprocal of the slope to get the slope of the perpendicular line.

Q: What is the negative reciprocal of a slope?

A: The negative reciprocal of a slope is the negative of the reciprocal of the slope. For example, if the slope is $2$ , the negative reciprocal is $-\frac{1}{2}$ .

Q: How do I convert a line from general form to slope-intercept form?

A: To convert a line from general form to slope-intercept form, you need to isolate $y$ on one side of the equation. You can do this by subtracting the $x$ term from both sides of the equation and then dividing both sides by the coefficient of $y$ .

Q: What is the general form of a line?

A: The general form of a line is $Ax + By = C$ , where $A$ and $B$ are the coefficients of $x$ and $y$ respectively, and $C$ is the constant term.

Q: How do I find the slope of a line in general form?

A: To find the slope of a line in general form, you need to rewrite the equation in slope-intercept form. You can do this by isolating $y$ on one side of the equation and then dividing both sides by the coefficient of $y$ .

Q: What is the slope-intercept form of a line?

A: The slope-intercept form of a line is $y = mx + b$ , where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y-intercept.

Q: How do I find the y-intercept of a line?

A: To find the y-intercept of a line, you need to set $x$ equal to $0$ and solve for $y$ . This will give you the value of the y-intercept.

Q: What is the relationship between the slope of a line and the slope of its perpendicular line?

A: The slope of a line and the slope of its perpendicular line are negative reciprocals of each other. This means that if the slope of one line is $m$ , the slope of the perpendicular line is $-\frac{1}{m}$ .

Conclusion

In this article, we answered some frequently asked questions related to the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ . We saw that the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ and discussed how to find the slope of a line perpendicular to a given line. We also discussed the relationship between the slope of a line and the slope of its perpendicular line.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the slope of a line perpendicular to the line $2x + 4y = 12$ is $2$ . We hope that this article has been helpful in answering some of the frequently asked questions related to this topic. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.