A line is perpendicular to x+3y-4=0 and has the same y-intercept as 2x+5y-20=0. Find an equation for the line

y=-1/3x+4

To find the equation of a line perpendicular to the given line, we recall that the slopes of two perpendicular lines are negative reciprocals of each other.

The given line has the equation x + 3y - 4 = 0.

We can rewrite it in slope-intercept form (y = mx + b) by isolating y:

3y = -x + 4

y = (-1/3)x + 4/3

The slope of the given line is -1/3.

To find the slope of the perpendicular line, we take the negative reciprocal: -1/(-1/3) = 3.

We also know that the perpendicular line has the same y-intercept as the line with the equation 2x + 5y - 20 = 0.

To find the y-intercept of this line, we set x = 0 and solve for y:

2(0) + 5y - 20 = 0

5y = 20

y = 4

So, the y-intercept is 4.

We can now write the equation of the perpendicular line in slope-intercept form, using the slope (m = 3) and the y-intercept (b = 4):

y = mx + b

y = 3x + 4

Therefore, an equation for the line that is perpendicular to x+3y-4=0 and has the same y-intercept as 2x+5y-20=0 is y = 3x + 4.

To find an equation for the line that is perpendicular to x+3y-4=0, we first need to determine the slope of this line.

The given equation is in the standard form Ax + By + C = 0, where A, B, and C represent constants. The coefficient of the y-term, which is 3 in this case, can be considered as the slope.

Now, since we are looking for a line perpendicular to this, we need to find the negative reciprocal of the slope. The negative reciprocal of 3 is -1/3.

To find the equation of the perpendicular line, we can use the point-slope form, which is y - y1 = m(x - x1), where m represents the slope and (x1, y1) represents a point on the line.

The equation 2x+5y-20=0 is in the form Ax + By + C = 0. By rearranging the equation, we get it into the slope-intercept form y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept. In this case, the y-intercept is -4.

So, we have the slope -1/3 and the y-intercept -4 for our desired line. Plugging these values into the point-slope form, we get:

y - (-4) = -1/3(x - x1)

Simplifying further:

y + 4 = -1/3(x - x1)

Therefore, an equation for the line that is perpendicular to x+3y-4=0 and has the same y-intercept as 2x+5y-20=0 is:

y + 4 = -1/3(x - x1)

Note: The equation is not fully determined as the point (x1, -4) on the line is not specified.

Here are two hints:

(1) The first equation tells you that the slope of the line you are looking for is m = 3. That is because the line you want to be perpendicular to has a slope of -1/3.
(2) The y-intercept of the line you want is b = 20/5 = 4. The point is located at (0,4)

y = mx + b

Substitute in the m and b values from above.