Explanation
Correct answer: C.
Choice C is correct. It's given that line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. This means that the slope of line is the negative reciprocal of the slope of line . If the equation for line is rewritten in slope-intercept form , where and are constants, then is the slope of the line and is its y-intercept. Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . It follows that the slope of line is . The negative reciprocal of a number is divided by the number. Therefore, the negative reciprocal of is , or . Thus, the slope of line is .
Desmos solution:
Enter in Desmos:
Reviewed and rewritten by CookSAT
Why the other choices are wrong
Choice A
Choice A is incorrect. This is the slope of line , not line .
Choice B
Choice B is incorrect. This is the reciprocal, not the negative reciprocal, of the slope of line .
Choice D
Choice D is incorrect. This is the negative, not the negative reciprocal, of the slope of line .