Question

When graphed on a coordinate plane, Lowry Street runs from (9,14) and (8,11). Piper Lane runs perpendicular to Lowry Street and passes through the point (3,-4). What fraction represents the slope of Piper Lane?

A) 1/3
B) 2/3
C) -1/2
D) -2/3

Answer 1

The slope of Piper Lane is the negative reciprocal of Lowry Street's slope. With Lowry Street's slope calculated at 3, Piper Lane's slope is -1/3, or option A) 1/3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves finding the slope of Piper Lane, which runs perpendicular to Lowry Street.

Given the coordinates for Lowry Street ((9,14) and (8,11)), we first calculate its slope using the formula (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1). This gives us (11 - 14) / (8 - 9) = -3 / -1 = 3.

Since Piper Lane is perpendicular to Lowry Street, its slope is the negative reciprocal of Lowry Street's slope, which is -1/3. Therefore, the slope of Piper Lane is represented by option A) 1/3.