Question

If a line has a slope of 3/8 what would be the slope of a line perpendicular to it?

Answer 1

remember this golden rule :
*product of slopes of perpendicular lines = -1*

Answer 2

if m1 = 3/8, and you want to find m2 ,
then do

m1*m2 =3/8
and find m2

Answer 3

You mean \(m_1*m_2 =-1 \)?

Answer 4

oops, typo

Answer 5

i meant
(3/8)*m2 = -1
find m2
.-.

Answer 6

Do you know how to find m2? @beccabear3

Answer 7

No

Answer 8

ok so we have \(\dfrac{3}{8}m_2=-1\)

to solve for m2, we need to isolate it

how can we get 3/8 to the other side?

Answer 9

multiply it out somehow?

Answer 10

or subtract?

Answer 11

lets take only '8' first,

8 is DIVIDED by m2 and we don't want it on the side of m2
so we do REVERSE operation,
what is reverse of division ??

(addition or multiplication or subtraction?)

Answer 12

Multiplication

Answer 13

i mean m2 is DIVIDED by 8

and yes, multiplication is correct,
so multiply 8 on both sides and tell me what u get ?

Answer 14

Multiply 3/8 by 8 and -1 by 8?

Answer 15

thats correct, do that

Answer 16

3 and -8?

Answer 17

so u get

3m2 =-8
right ??

Answer 18

now 3 is MULTIPLIED by m2,
and we don't want 3 on the same side of m2
so we do reverse operation of multiplication,

which is division!
so divide both sides by 3

Answer 19

so -8/3?

Answer 20

\(\huge \checkmark \)

Answer 21

Thank you!

Answer 22

welcome ^_^