Perpendicular Lines In Geometry And Their Practical Applications

Perpendicular lines

Lines that intersect at right angles (90*)

Two lines are said to be perpendicular if they intersect each other at a right angle (90 degrees). In other words, if we draw a line perpendicular to another line at a given point, the resulting angle formed is 90 degrees.

To check if two lines are perpendicular, we calculate the slope of both lines. If the product of their slopes is -1, then the lines are perpendicular.

Let’s consider two lines, L1 and L2, with slopes m1 and m2 respectively. If L1 and L2 are perpendicular, then:

m1 * m2 = -1

For example, if L1 has a slope of 2, then L2 should have a slope of -1/2 for them to be perpendicular. Similarly, if L2 has a slope of 3/4, then L1 should have a slope of -4/3.

Perpendicular lines are important in geometry because they help us determine the right angle between two lines, which is a crucial concept in many geometric problems. In addition, perpendicular lines are used in various applications such as architecture, engineering, and construction.

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