Line s passes through points (6, 7) and (1, 15). Line t is perpendicular to s. What is the slope of line t?

Simplify your answer and write it as a proper fraction, improper fraction, or integer.

1 answer

To find the slope of line \( t \), which is perpendicular to line \( s \), we first need to determine the slope of line \( s \).

The slope \( m \) of a line that passes through two points \((x_1, y_1)\) and \((x_2, y_2)\) is given by the formula:

\[ m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \]

In this case, the points are \((6, 7)\) and \((1, 15)\). Assigning the values:

  • \( (x_1, y_1) = (6, 7) \)
  • \( (x_2, y_2) = (1, 15) \)

Now we can calculate the slope of line \( s \):

\[ m_s = \frac{15 - 7}{1 - 6} = \frac{8}{-5} = -\frac{8}{5} \]

The slope of line \( s \) is \( -\frac{8}{5} \).

Since line \( t \) is perpendicular to line \( s \), we use the fact that the slopes of two perpendicular lines multiply to \(-1\). If \( m_t \) is the slope of line \( t \), then:

\[ m_s \cdot m_t = -1 \]

Substituting the slope of line \( s \):

\[ \left(-\frac{8}{5}\right) \cdot m_t = -1 \]

To find \( m_t \), we solve for \( m_t \):

\[ m_t = \frac{-1}{-\frac{8}{5}} = \frac{5}{8} \]

Thus, the slope of line \( t \) is

\[ \boxed{\frac{5}{8}} \]