What equation is perpendicular to y=-5x+1

Question

Which equation is perpendicular to the one in the questions

 

Answer 1

Your equation of y = -5x +1 follows perfectly the equation of a line y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.  So the slope of your line is -5.  Any line equation with a slope of -5 would be parallel to it.  A perpendicular line would be the negative reciprocal of m, which in this case would be +1/5.

 

What slope would be perpendicular to 7/2?

Answer 2

Any line with a slope of

 

m = -1/(-5) = 1/5

 

is perpendicular to the given line.  Examples:

 

y = (1/5)x

y = (1/5)x + 1

y = (1/5)x + 2

etc.