What is the equation of the line passing through the point (0, 8) and perpendicular to the line through the points (6, 8) and (8, 6)

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The slope of a line passing through the points `(x_1, y_1)` and `(x_2, y_2)` is S = `(y_2 - y_1)/(x_2 - x_1)` . The product of the slope of two perpendicular lines is equal to -1.

If a line passes through the points (6, 8) and (8, 6) its slope is `(6 - 8)/(8 - 6) = -1` .

The slope of a line perpendicular to this line is `(-1)/(-1)` = 1. If this line passes through the point (0, 8) the equation of the line is `(y - 8)/(x - 0) = 1`

=> y - 8 = x

=> x - y + 8 = 0

The equation of the required line is x - y + 8 = 0

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial