Write the equation of a line that is perpendicular to y=0.25x-7 and that passes through the point (-6,8)

Answer 1

y = -4x - 16

Recall that any perpendicular line will have a slope that is -1/m to the slope of our original equation. So, since our equation is already in slope-intercept form, we know our slope of 1/4 (0.25) will be -4 (-4/1) in our perpendicular line. So, we already know our perpendicular line will start off as:

y = -4x + b

Next, we need to find the y-intercept (b) of our perpendicular line using the coordinates they gave us (-6,8). Plug in x=-6 and y=8 to solve for b:

8 = -4(-6) + b

8 = 24 + b

Subtract 24 from both sides:

-16 = b

So, now that we know the slope and the y-intercept of the perpendicular line, we have our equation!

y = -4x - 16