Coordinate Geometry - GMAT Quantitative
Card 1 of 2080
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to
?
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to ?
Tap to reveal answer
In order for a line
to be perpendicular to another line
defined by the equation
, the slope of line
must be a negative reciprocal of the slope of line
. Since line
's slope is
in the slope-intercept equation above, line
's slope would therefore be
.
In this instance,
, so
. Therefore, the correct solution is
.
In order for a line to be perpendicular to another line
defined by the equation
, the slope of line
must be a negative reciprocal of the slope of line
. Since line
's slope is
in the slope-intercept equation above, line
's slope would therefore be
.
In this instance, , so
. Therefore, the correct solution is
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Find the equation of the line that is perpendicular to the line connecting the points
.
Find the equation of the line that is perpendicular to the line connecting the points .
Tap to reveal answer
Lines are perpendicular if their slopes are negative reciprocals of each other. First we need to find the slope of the line in the question stem.

The negative reciprocal of 3 is
, so our answer will have a slope of
. Let's go through the answer choices and see.
: This line is of the form
, where
is the slope. The slope is 3, so this line is parallel, not perpendicular, to our line in question.
: The slope here is
, also wrong.
: The slope of this line is
. This is the reciprocal, but not the negative reciprocal, so this is also incorrect.
The line between the points
:
.
This is the correct answer! Let's check the last answer choice as well.
The line between points
:
, which is incorrect.
Lines are perpendicular if their slopes are negative reciprocals of each other. First we need to find the slope of the line in the question stem.
The negative reciprocal of 3 is , so our answer will have a slope of
. Let's go through the answer choices and see.
: This line is of the form
, where
is the slope. The slope is 3, so this line is parallel, not perpendicular, to our line in question.
: The slope here is
, also wrong.
: The slope of this line is
. This is the reciprocal, but not the negative reciprocal, so this is also incorrect.
The line between the points :
.
This is the correct answer! Let's check the last answer choice as well.
The line between points :
, which is incorrect.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Determine whether the lines with equations
and
are perpendicular.
Determine whether the lines with equations and
are perpendicular.
Tap to reveal answer
If two equations are perpendicular, then they will have inverse negative slopes of each other. So if we compare the slopes of the two equations, then we can find the answer. For the first equation we have 
so the slope is
.
So for the equations to be perpendicular, the other equation needs to have a slope of 3. For the second equation, we have

so the slope is
.
Since the slope of the second equation is not equal to 3, then the lines are not perpendicular.
If two equations are perpendicular, then they will have inverse negative slopes of each other. So if we compare the slopes of the two equations, then we can find the answer. For the first equation we have
so the slope is .
So for the equations to be perpendicular, the other equation needs to have a slope of 3. For the second equation, we have
so the slope is .
Since the slope of the second equation is not equal to 3, then the lines are not perpendicular.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →

Figure NOT drawn to scale.
Refer to the above figure.
True or false: 
Statement 1:
is a right angle.
Statement 2:
and
are supplementary.

Figure NOT drawn to scale.
Refer to the above figure.
True or false:
Statement 1: is a right angle.
Statement 2: and
are supplementary.
Tap to reveal answer
Statement 1 alone establishes by definition that
, but does not establish any relationship between
and
.
By Statement 2 alone, since same-side interior angles are supplementary,
, but no conclusion can be drawn about the relationship of
, since the actual measures of the angles are not given.
Assume both statements are true. If two lines are parallel, then any line in their plane perpendicular to one must be perpendicular to the other.
and
, so it can be established that
.
Statement 1 alone establishes by definition that , but does not establish any relationship between
and
.
By Statement 2 alone, since same-side interior angles are supplementary, , but no conclusion can be drawn about the relationship of
, since the actual measures of the angles are not given.
Assume both statements are true. If two lines are parallel, then any line in their plane perpendicular to one must be perpendicular to the other. and
, so it can be established that
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →

Refer to the above figure.
. True or false: 
Statement 1: 
Statement 2:
and
are supplementary.

Refer to the above figure. . True or false:
Statement 1:
Statement 2: and
are supplementary.
Tap to reveal answer
If transversal
crosses two parallel lines
and
, then same-side interior angles are supplementary, so
and
are supplementary angles. Also, corresponding angles are congruent, so
.
By Statement 1 alone, angles
and
are congruent as well as supplementary; by Statement 2 alone,
and
are also supplementary as well as congruent. Two angles that are both supplementary and congruent are both right angles, so from either statement alone,
and
intersect at right angles, so, consequently,
.
If transversal crosses two parallel lines
and
, then same-side interior angles are supplementary, so
and
are supplementary angles. Also, corresponding angles are congruent, so
.
By Statement 1 alone, angles and
are congruent as well as supplementary; by Statement 2 alone,
and
are also supplementary as well as congruent. Two angles that are both supplementary and congruent are both right angles, so from either statement alone,
and
intersect at right angles, so, consequently,
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Find the equation of the line that is perpendicular to the following equation and passes through the point
.

Find the equation of the line that is perpendicular to the following equation and passes through the point .
Tap to reveal answer
To solve this equation, we want to begin by recalling how to find the slope of a perpendicular line. In this case, our original line is modeled by the following:

To find the slope of any line perpendicular to the above equation, we simply need to take the reciprocal of the first slope, and then change its sign. Our original slope is
, so

becomes
.
If we flip
, we get
, and the opposite sign of a negative is a positive; hence, our slope is positive
.
So, we know our perpendicular line should look something like this:

However, we need to find out what
(our
-intercept) is in order to complete our equation. To do so, we need to plug in the ordered pair we received in the question,
, and solve for
:




So, by putting everything together, we get our final equation:

This equation satisfies the conditions of being perpendicular to our initial equation and passing through
.
To solve this equation, we want to begin by recalling how to find the slope of a perpendicular line. In this case, our original line is modeled by the following:
To find the slope of any line perpendicular to the above equation, we simply need to take the reciprocal of the first slope, and then change its sign. Our original slope is , so
becomes
.
If we flip , we get
, and the opposite sign of a negative is a positive; hence, our slope is positive
.
So, we know our perpendicular line should look something like this:
However, we need to find out what (our
-intercept) is in order to complete our equation. To do so, we need to plug in the ordered pair we received in the question,
, and solve for
:
So, by putting everything together, we get our final equation:
This equation satisfies the conditions of being perpendicular to our initial equation and passing through .
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
What are the coordinates of the mipdpoint of the line segment
if
and 
What are the coordinates of the mipdpoint of the line segment if
and
Tap to reveal answer
The midpoint formula is 
The midpoint formula is
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
A given line
has a slope of
. What is the slope of any line perpendicular to
?
A given line has a slope of
. What is the slope of any line perpendicular to
?
Tap to reveal answer
In order for a line
to be perpendicular to another line
defined by the equation
, the slope of line
must be a negative reciprocal of the slope of line
. Since line
's slope is
in the slope-intercept equation above, line
's slope would therefore be
.
Given that we have a line
with a slope
, we can therefore conclude that any perpendicular line would have a slope
.
In order for a line to be perpendicular to another line
defined by the equation
, the slope of line
must be a negative reciprocal of the slope of line
. Since line
's slope is
in the slope-intercept equation above, line
's slope would therefore be
.
Given that we have a line with a slope
, we can therefore conclude that any perpendicular line would have a slope
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Which of the following lines are perpendicular to
?
Which of the following lines are perpendicular to ?
Tap to reveal answer
In order for a line
to be perpendicular to another line
defined by the equation
, the slope of line
must be a negative reciprocal of the slope of line
. Since line
's slope is
in the slope-intercept equation above, line
's slope would therefore be
.
Since in this instance the slope
,
. Two of the above answers have this as their slope, so therefore that is the answer to our question.
In order for a line to be perpendicular to another line
defined by the equation
, the slope of line
must be a negative reciprocal of the slope of line
. Since line
's slope is
in the slope-intercept equation above, line
's slope would therefore be
.
Since in this instance the slope ,
. Two of the above answers have this as their slope, so therefore that is the answer to our question.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Find the slope of a line that is perpendicular to the line running through the points
and
.
Find the slope of a line that is perpendicular to the line running through the points and
.
Tap to reveal answer
To find the slope
of the line running through
and
, we use the following equation:

The slope of any line perpendicular to the given line would have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of
, or
. Therefore, 
To find the slope of the line running through
and
, we use the following equation:
The slope of any line perpendicular to the given line would have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of , or
. Therefore,
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to
?
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to ?
Tap to reveal answer
Given a line
defined by the equation
with a slope of
, any line perpendicular to
would have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of
,
. Given our equation
, we know that
and that
.
The only answer choice with this slope is
.
Given a line defined by the equation
with a slope of
, any line perpendicular to
would have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of
,
. Given our equation
, we know that
and that
.
The only answer choice with this slope is .
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to 
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to
Tap to reveal answer
Given a line
defined by the equation
with a slope of
, any line perpendicular to
would have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of
,
. Given our equation
, we know that
and that
.
There are two answer choices with this slope,
and
.
Given a line defined by the equation
with a slope of
, any line perpendicular to
would have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of
,
. Given our equation
, we know that
and that
.
There are two answer choices with this slope, and
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Do the functions
and
intersect at a ninety-degree angle, and how can you tell?


Do the functions and
intersect at a ninety-degree angle, and how can you tell?
Tap to reveal answer
If two lines intersect at a ninety-degree angle, they are said to be perpendicular. Two lines are perpendicular if their slopes are opposite reciprocals. In this case:


The two lines' slopes are reciprocals with opposing signs, so the answer is yes. Of our two yes answers, only one has the right explanation. Eliminate the option dealing with
-intercepts.
If two lines intersect at a ninety-degree angle, they are said to be perpendicular. Two lines are perpendicular if their slopes are opposite reciprocals. In this case:
The two lines' slopes are reciprocals with opposing signs, so the answer is yes. Of our two yes answers, only one has the right explanation. Eliminate the option dealing with -intercepts.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
A given line
is defined by the equation
. Which of the following lines would be perpendicular to line
?
A given line is defined by the equation
. Which of the following lines would be perpendicular to line
?
Tap to reveal answer
For any line
with an equation
and slope
, a line that is perpendicular to
must have a slope of
, or the negative reciprocal of
. Given
, we know that
and therefore know that
.
Only one equation above has a slope of
:
.
For any line with an equation
and slope
, a line that is perpendicular to
must have a slope of
, or the negative reciprocal of
. Given
, we know that
and therefore know that
.
Only one equation above has a slope of :
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
What is the slope of a line that is perpendicular to 
What is the slope of a line that is perpendicular to
Tap to reveal answer
For any line
with an equation
and slope
, a line that is perpendicular to
must have a slope of
, or the negative reciprocal of
. Given the equation
, we know that
and therefore know that
.
For any line with an equation
and slope
, a line that is perpendicular to
must have a slope of
, or the negative reciprocal of
. Given the equation
, we know that
and therefore know that
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to
?
Which of the following lines is perpendicular to ?
Tap to reveal answer
For any line
with an equation
and slope
, a line that is perpendicular to
must have a slope of
, or the negative reciprocal of
. Given the equation
, we know that
and therefore know that
.
Given a slope of
, we know that there are two solutions provided:
and
.
For any line with an equation
and slope
, a line that is perpendicular to
must have a slope of
, or the negative reciprocal of
. Given the equation
, we know that
and therefore know that
.
Given a slope of , we know that there are two solutions provided:
and
.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
What is the slope of a line perpendicular to that of 
What is the slope of a line perpendicular to that of
Tap to reveal answer
First, we need to rearrange the equation into slope-intercept form.
.
Therefore, the slope of this line equals
Perpendicular lines have slope that are the opposite reciprocal, or 
First, we need to rearrange the equation into slope-intercept form. .
Therefore, the slope of this line equals
Perpendicular lines have slope that are the opposite reciprocal, or
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
What is the distance between the points
and
?
What is the distance between the points and
?
Tap to reveal answer
Let's plug our coordinates into the distance formula.

Let's plug our coordinates into the distance formula.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
What is the distance between the points
and
?
What is the distance between the points and
?
Tap to reveal answer
We need to use the distance formula to calculate the distance between these two points.

We need to use the distance formula to calculate the distance between these two points.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
A line segement on the coordinate plane has endpoints
and
. Which of the following expressions is equal to the length of the segment?
A line segement on the coordinate plane has endpoints and
. Which of the following expressions is equal to the length of the segment?
Tap to reveal answer
Apply the distance formula, setting
:

![d = \sqrt{[A-(A+4)]^{2}+[(B+3)-B)]^{2}}](https://vt-vtwa-assets.varsitytutors.com/vt-vtwa/uploads/formula_image/image/111064/gif.latex)

Apply the distance formula, setting
:
← Didn't Know|Knew It →