What is the slope of any line perpendicular to the line passing through (5,1) and (14,4)?

1 Answer
Aug 21, 2017

See a solution process below:

Explanation:

First, we need to find the slope of the line containing the two points in the problem. The slope can be found by using the formula: m=y2y1x2x1

Where m is the slope and (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) are the two points on the line.

Substituting the values from the points in the problem gives:

m=41145=4114+5=59=59

Let's call the slope of a perpendicular line: mp

The slope of a perpendicular line is:

mp=1m

Substituting gives:

mp=159=95