How can you determine if two lines are perpendicular?
find their slopes.
If the are the opposite reciprocals of each other, they are perpendicular.
or
if their product is -1 they are perpendicular.
thank you, But what if the product is something other than -1 Could it still be perpendicular? Why or Why not?
nope, if the product is not -1, they are not perpendicular
If the slopes are opposite reciprocals, their product will always be -1. So that is the basic condition.
e.g. slope of first = 4/5
slope of second = -5/4
(4/5)(-5/4) = -1
Thank you!
To determine if two lines are perpendicular, you can use their slopes.
1. First, find the slopes of both lines. Let's say the slopes are m1 and m2.
2. If the product of the two slopes is -1 (m1 * m2 = -1), then the lines are perpendicular.
- For example, if one line has a slope of 2/3 (m1 = 2/3), and the other line has a slope of -3/2 (m2 = -3/2), their product is (2/3) * (-3/2) = -1. So, the lines are perpendicular.
- On the other hand, if the product of the slopes is not -1, then the lines are not perpendicular.
Note: If one of the lines is vertical, that means it has an undefined slope. In this case, if the other line has a slope of 0, the lines are perpendicular. Otherwise, they are not perpendicular.