If a line has slope -2, what is the slope of a line perpendicular to it?

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Multiple Choice

If a line has slope -2, what is the slope of a line perpendicular to it?

Explanation:
Perpendicular lines have slopes that are opposite reciprocals. So you take the reciprocal of the given slope and change the sign. For a slope of -2, the reciprocal is -1/2, and changing the sign gives +1/2. The line perpendicular to it has slope 1/2. Check by multiplying: (-2) × (1/2) = -1, which confirms perpendicularity. The other options don’t produce -1 when multiplied by -2, so they aren’t perpendicular.

Perpendicular lines have slopes that are opposite reciprocals. So you take the reciprocal of the given slope and change the sign. For a slope of -2, the reciprocal is -1/2, and changing the sign gives +1/2. The line perpendicular to it has slope 1/2. Check by multiplying: (-2) × (1/2) = -1, which confirms perpendicularity. The other options don’t produce -1 when multiplied by -2, so they aren’t perpendicular.

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