Sunday, August 24, 2014

Write the equation of a line that hits the origin at a 45-degree angle. Explain how you determined your answer.

any line equation is in form of y=mx+c m is the slop of the line c is the y axis intercept in this case m=tan(45)=1and because the line pass through the origin so it dosn't intercept y axis so c=0the equation is y=x


In order to write the equation of a line, we need to know either two points that belong to that line or one point and the line's slope. In this case, since the line "hits the origin" at a 45-degree angle, this means that:
1) The line passes through the origin. In other words, point (0,0) belongs to the line.
2) The line makes a 45-degree angle with the x-axis. This information helps determine the slope of the line.
The slope can be calculated as "rise over run," or the change in the vertical component divided by the corresponding change in the horizontal component:
m=(Delta y)/(Delta x) .
Consider a right triangle created by the line, the horizontal segment with the length of
Delta x and the vertical segment with the length Delta y . The angle that the line makes with the horizontal (x-axis) lies opposite the vertical segment. Thus, the tangent of this angle, which by definition equals the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the adjacent side, is the same thing as the slope of the line: (Delta y)/(Delta x) .
If the slope of the line is the tangent of the angle the line makes with the x-axis, then the slope of the line that makes a 45-degree angle with the x-axis is tan(45) = 1.
So, the line we are looking for passes through the point (0,0) and has the slope of m = 1.
Using point-slope form, the equation of the line can be written as
y - 0 = 1(x - 0), or simply
y = x.
The equation of the line that hits the origin at a 45-degree angle is y = x.
The graph of this line is below. Note that this line bisects the angle between the coordinate axes.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the theme of the chapter Lead?

Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...