Below are some graphs of lines. Recall, if the slope is positive, the line slants to the right. If the slope is negative, the line slants to the left. As the slope increases, the line becomes steeper. The lines indicate the following slopes: [latex]m=-3[/latex], [latex]m=2[/latex], and [latex]m=\frac{1}{3}[/latex].

(4.3.1) – Parallel and Perpendicular Lines

Parallel lines have the same slope and different y-intercepts. Lines that are parallel to each other will never intersect. For example, the figure below shows the graphs of various lines with the same slope, [latex]m=2[/latex].

Parallel lines

All of the lines shown in the graph are parallel because they have the same slope and different y-intercepts.

Lines that are perpendicular intersect to form a [latex]{90}^{\circ }[/latex] -angle. The slope of one line is the negative reciprocal of the other. We can show that two lines are perpendicular if the product of the two slopes is [latex]-1:{m}_{1}\cdot {m}_{2}=-1[/latex]. For example, the figure above shows the graph of two perpendicular lines. One line has a slope of 3; the other line has a slope of [latex]-\frac{1}{3}[/latex].

[latex]\begin{array}{l}\text{ }{m}_{1}\cdot {m}_{2}=-1\hfill \\ \text{ }3\cdot \left(-\frac{1}{3}\right)=-1\hfill \end{array}[/latex]

Perpendicular lines

If we know the equation of a line, we can use what we know about slope to write the equation of a line that is either parallel or perpendicular to the given line.

Writing Equations of Parallel Lines

Suppose for example, we are given the following equation.

[latex]f\left(x\right)=3x+1[/latex]

We know that the slope of the line formed by the function is 3. We also know that the y-intercept is (0, 1). Any other line with a slope of 3 will be parallel to f(x). So the lines formed by all of the following functions will be parallel to f(x).

[latex]\begin{cases}g\left(x\right)=3x+6\hfill \\ h\left(x\right)=3x+1\hfill \\ p\left(x\right)=3x+\frac{2}{3}\hfill \end{cases}[/latex]

Suppose then we want to write the equation of a line that is parallel to f and passes through the point (1, 7). We already know that the slope is 3. We just need to determine which value for b will give the correct line. We can begin with the point-slope form of an equation for a line, and then rewrite it in the slope-intercept form.

[latex]\begin{cases}y-{y}_{1}=m\left(x-{x}_{1}\right)\hfill \\ y - 7=3\left(x - 1\right)\hfill \\ y - 7=3x - 3\hfill \\ \text{ }y=3x+4\hfill \end{cases}[/latex]

So [latex]g\left(x\right)=3x+4[/latex] is parallel to [latex]f\left(x\right)=3x+1[/latex] and passes through the point (1, 7).

Writing Equations of Perpendicular Lines

We can use a very similar process to write the equation for a line perpendicular to a given line. Instead of using the same slope, however, we use the negative reciprocal of the given slope. Suppose we are given the following function:

[latex]f\left(x\right)=2x+4[/latex]

The slope of the line is 2, and its negative reciprocal is [latex]-\frac{1}{2}[/latex]. Any function with a slope of [latex]-\frac{1}{2}[/latex] will be perpendicular to f(x). So the lines formed by all of the following functions will be perpendicular to f(x).

[latex]\begin{cases}g\left(x\right)=-\frac{1}{2}x+4\hfill \\ h\left(x\right)=-\frac{1}{2}x+2\hfill \\ p\left(x\right)=-\frac{1}{2}x-\frac{1}{2}\hfill \end{cases}[/latex]

As before, we can narrow down our choices for a particular perpendicular line if we know that it passes through a given point. Suppose then we want to write the equation of a line that is perpendicular to f(x) and passes through the point (4, 0). We already know that the slope is [latex]-\frac{1}{2}[/latex]. Now we can use the point to find the y-intercept by substituting the given values into the slope-intercept form of a line and solving for b.

[latex]\begin{cases}g\left(x\right)=mx+b\hfill \\ 0=-\frac{1}{2}\left(4\right)+b\hfill \\ 0=-2+b\hfill \\ 2=b\hfill \\ b=2\hfill \end{cases}[/latex]

The equation for the function with a slope of [latex]-\frac{1}{2}[/latex] and a y-intercept of 2 is [latex]g\left(x\right)=-\frac{1}{2}x+2[/latex].

So [latex]g\left(x\right)=-\frac{1}{2}x+2[/latex] is perpendicular to [latex]f\left(x\right)=2x+4[/latex] and passes through the point (4, 0). Be aware that perpendicular lines may not look obviously perpendicular on a graphing calculator unless we use the square zoom feature.

Writing the Equations of Lines Parallel or Perpendicular to a Given Line

As we have learned, determining whether two lines are parallel or perpendicular is a matter of finding the slopes. To write the equation of a line parallel or perpendicular to another line, we follow the same principles as we do for finding the equation of any line. After finding the slope, use the point-slope formula to write the equation of the new line.