Passing through ( -5, 6) and perpendicular to the line whose equation is x = -10 write the equation in point slope form:

Question

How are you suppose to use the x = -10 with this information to turn it into point slope form?

Answer 1

First, note that the answer is to be written in point-slope form:

        y – y₁ = m(x – x₁)

 

The equation x=-10 is written in Standard Form because the slope (m) is undefined   (as in y = mx+b).  It is a vertical line (y can have any value).

 

The perpendicular line has slope m=0.  Putting the point (-5,6) into the point-slope form as (x₁,y₁) gives:

      y - 6 = (0)(x - (-5))

      y - 6 = 0         [this is point-slope form]

 

Note that y=6 is the same line in slope-intercept form (y=mx+b or y=6).

Answer 2

Alright, first what you want to do is draw this out on a graph.

 

What you will get is a point located at  (-5, 6) and a line going through x=-10. This line is basically going straight up and down.

 

The first clue is the point you are given. You know the equation goes through this.

The second clue is that it is perpendicular to x=-10. If x=-10 is up/down, and the equation is perpendicular, it must go left-right. In other words, it is a horizontal line. This means that its equation can be represented by y = ?.

 

You know that the point must go through (-5,6), where y = 6. And since the line is straight horizontal through this, the equation is simply: y=6.

 

 

Answer 3

x = -10 is a vertical line. Thus anything perpendicular to it must be horizontal. This tells you that the slope (m) is equal to 0.

From this we know that y = b will be the form of the equation and plugging 6 in for y gives you b = 6.

Thus the solution is y = 6 or y = 0*x + 6.