Question

Are the lines perpendicular? x=3 and y=5

A. Yes, their slopes are negative reciprocals

B. No, their slopes are not negative reciprocals

Answer 1

Answer: A. Yes, their slopes are negative reciprocals

Explanation:

x=3 is a vertical line where every y value lands on x=3. (Undefined slope)

y=5 is a horizontal line where every x value lands on y=5 (Zero slope)

Even though the slopes are not numbers they can still be negative reciprocals. The lines are indeed perpendicular and thus the slopes are negative reciprocals. The relationship between undefined slopes and zero slopes is negative reciprocals because 0/1 cannot be inversed because anything divided by 0 is undefined.