Question

Write the equation of a line that is perpendicular to the line y=1/6x+5 and goes through the point P(-3,1)

Answer 1

You need to find the slope of the new line. The product of the slopes of two perpendicular lines is -1. (graph y = x and y = -x for a quick demonstration)

Then you've got a known slope and a known point, so use point-slope formula:

\[y-y_0 = m(x-x_0)\]
(x0,y0) is your known point, and m is the slope that you determine.