Write an equation of a line with undefined slope that passes through the point(3,-2)
The slope of a horizontal line is well defined- it is zero.
I think what is wanted is as follows:
General equation of a straight line is y =mx + c
Here we know that this line goes through point (3, -2) so we can say
-2 = m*3 + c
This means c = -2 - 3m. Put this in the equation for the line:
y = mx - 2 - 3m
or
y = m(x - 3) - 2
The slope m is undefined.
To put it simply, in linear equations, if an equation is y= (any real number), then it is horizontal. For example, y=2 is horizontal, and it has an undefined slope. x=3 is actually a vertical line. Its slope is 0.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
BOSEOK is correct; the equation is x=3.
Contrary to what Gh0sty stated, the slope is defined when a linear function happens to be horizontal. Let's figure out the slope of the graph provided by Gh0sty. I will use the points \((3,-2)\) and \((0,-2)\). Let's find the slope.
Of course, the formula for slope is the following:
\(m=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}\)
\(m=\frac{-2-(-2)}{0-3}\) | Continue to simplify the fraction. |
\(m=\frac{0}{-3}=0\) | |
The slope is 0. 0 is a valid number for the slope. If you type into Demos y=0x-2, the line will appear exactly as the picture above.
Let's try calculating the slope of the line x=-3. Two arbitrary points on the line are \((-3,2)\) and \((-3,0)\)
What is the slope of this? Let's try using the formula again. Let's see what happens.
\(\frac{0-2}{-3-(-3)}\) | Simplify both the numerator and the denominator. |
\(\frac{-2}{0}\) | |
Of course, any number divided by 0 is undefined and therefore it has an undefined slope.
Therefore, BOSEOK's answer is correct because it meets both criteria of
1) A line with an undefined slope
2) A line that passes through the point \((3,-2)\)
And therefore, \(x=3\) is correct.