Negative Reciprocal of the Slope

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 119 views

Introduction

In mathematics, finding the equation of a line perpendicular to a given line is a fundamental concept in geometry and algebra. Given a line in the slope-intercept form, $y = mx + b$ , where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y-intercept, we can find the equation of a line perpendicular to it by using the negative reciprocal of the slope. In this article, we will find the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = -4x + b$ that passes through the point (8, 1).

Slope of the Given Line

The given line is in the slope-intercept form, $y = -4x + b$ . The slope of this line is $-4$ . To find the equation of a line perpendicular to this line, we need to use the negative reciprocal of the slope.

Negative Reciprocal of the Slope

The negative reciprocal of the slope $-4$ is $\frac{1}{4}$ . This is because the reciprocal of $-4$ is $-\frac{1}{4}$ , and the negative sign is preserved to indicate that the slope of the perpendicular line is negative.

Equation of the Perpendicular Line

The equation of a line in the slope-intercept form is given by $y = mx + b$ , where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y-intercept. Since we know that the slope of the perpendicular line is $\frac{1}{4}$ , we can write the equation of the perpendicular line as $y = \frac{1}{4}x + b$ .

Finding the Y-Intercept

To find the equation of the perpendicular line, we need to find the value of the y-intercept, $b$ . We are given that the perpendicular line passes through the point (8, 1). We can substitute the coordinates of this point into the equation of the perpendicular line to find the value of $b$ .

Substituting the Coordinates

Substituting the coordinates (8, 1) into the equation of the perpendicular line, we get:

1 = \frac{1}{4}(8) + b

Solving for $b$

Simplifying the equation, we get:

1 = 2 + b

Subtracting 2 from both sides, we get:

b = -1

Equation of the Perpendicular Line

Now that we have found the value of the y-intercept, $b$ , we can write the equation of the perpendicular line as:

y = \frac{1}{4}x - 1

Conclusion

In this article, we found the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = -4x + b$ that passes through the point (8, 1). We used the negative reciprocal of the slope to find the equation of the perpendicular line and then substituted the coordinates of the given point to find the value of the y-intercept. The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = \frac{1}{4}x - 1$ .

Example Problems

Problem 1

Find the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = 3x + 2$ that passes through the point (4, 5).

Solution

The slope of the given line is 3. The negative reciprocal of the slope is $-\frac{1}{3}$ . The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = -\frac{1}{3}x + b$ . Substituting the coordinates (4, 5) into the equation, we get:

5 = -\frac{1}{3}(4) + b

Simplifying the equation, we get:

5 = -\frac{4}{3} + b

Adding $\frac{4}{3}$ to both sides, we get:

b = \frac{23}{3}

The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = -\frac{1}{3}x + \frac{23}{3}$ .

Problem 2

Find the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = -2x + 1$ that passes through the point (6, 3).

Solution

The slope of the given line is -2. The negative reciprocal of the slope is $\frac{1}{2}$ . The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = \frac{1}{2}x + b$ . Substituting the coordinates (6, 3) into the equation, we get:

3 = \frac{1}{2}(6) + b

Simplifying the equation, we get:

3 = 3 + b

Subtracting 3 from both sides, we get:

b = 0

The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = \frac{1}{2}x$ .

Final Answer

The final answer is $y = \frac{1}{4}x - 1$ .

Introduction

In our previous article, we found the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = -4x + b$ that passes through the point (8, 1). In this article, we will provide a Q&A section to help clarify any doubts and provide additional information on the topic.

Q&A

Q1: What is the slope of the given line?

A1: The slope of the given line is -4.

Q2: How do we find the equation of a line perpendicular to the given line?

A2: To find the equation of a line perpendicular to the given line, we need to use the negative reciprocal of the slope of the given line.

Q3: What is the negative reciprocal of the slope -4?

A3: The negative reciprocal of the slope -4 is $\frac{1}{4}$ .

Q4: How do we find the equation of the perpendicular line?

A4: We can find the equation of the perpendicular line by using the slope-intercept form, $y = mx + b$ , where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y-intercept.

Q5: How do we find the value of the y-intercept, $b$ ?

A5: We can find the value of the y-intercept, $b$ , by substituting the coordinates of the given point into the equation of the perpendicular line.

Q6: What is the equation of the perpendicular line?

A6: The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = \frac{1}{4}x - 1$ .

Q7: How do we find the equation of a line perpendicular to a given line that passes through a given point?

A7: To find the equation of a line perpendicular to a given line that passes through a given point, we need to follow these steps:

Find the slope of the given line.
Use the negative reciprocal of the slope to find the slope of the perpendicular line.
Use the slope-intercept form to find the equation of the perpendicular line.
Substitute the coordinates of the given point into the equation of the perpendicular line to find the value of the y-intercept.
Write the equation of the perpendicular line in the slope-intercept form.

Q8: What are some common mistakes to avoid when finding the equation of a line perpendicular to a given line?

A8: Some common mistakes to avoid when finding the equation of a line perpendicular to a given line include:

Not using the negative reciprocal of the slope.
Not substituting the coordinates of the given point into the equation of the perpendicular line.
Not writing the equation of the perpendicular line in the slope-intercept form.

Example Problems

Problem 1

Find the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = 3x + 2$ that passes through the point (4, 5).

Solution

5 = -\frac{1}{3}(4) + b

Simplifying the equation, we get:

5 = -\frac{4}{3} + b

Adding $\frac{4}{3}$ to both sides, we get:

b = \frac{23}{3}

The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = -\frac{1}{3}x + \frac{23}{3}$ .

Problem 2

Find the equation of the line perpendicular to the line $y = -2x + 1$ that passes through the point (6, 3).

Solution

3 = \frac{1}{2}(6) + b

Simplifying the equation, we get:

3 = 3 + b

Subtracting 3 from both sides, we get:

b = 0

The equation of the perpendicular line is $y = \frac{1}{2}x$ .

Final Answer

The final answer is $y = \frac{1}{4}x - 1$ .