16Hit1600
AlgebraVery hardY-intercept of a perpendicular line

Algebra practice question

Line l has the equation 3x − 4y = 24. Line m is perpendicular to l and passes through the point (6, 1). What is the y-intercept of line m?

Answer: 9

Line l has slope 3/4, so m has slope −4/3. Then 1 = (−4/3)(6) + b gives b = 9.

Common wrong answers

If you answered -7
−7 uses the slope 4/3 instead of −4/3.
If you answered -3.5
−3.5 uses the slope 3/4 of line l.
If you answered -6
−6 is the y-intercept of line l.

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