3.

4
Before

Find and Use Slopes

of Lines
You used properties of parallel lines to find angle measures.

Now

You will find and compare slopes of lines.

Why

So you can compare rates of speed, as in Example 4.

Key Vocabulary
slope, p. 879
rise, p. 879
run, p. 879

The slope of a nonvertical line is the ratio of

vertical change (rise) to horizontal change (run)
between any two points on the line.

run
x2 2 x1
rise
y2 2 y1

If a line in the coordinate plane passes through

points (x1, y1) and (x2, y 2) then the slope m is

(x2, y2)
(x1, y1)

y2 2 y1
change in y
rise
m5}
5}5}
.
run
x2 2 x 1
change in x

For Your Notebook

KEY CONCEPT
Slope of Lines in the Coordinate Plane

Negative slope: falls from left to right, as in line j

Positive slope: rises from left to right, as in line k

Zero slope (slope of 0): horizontal, as in line l

Undefined slope: vertical, as in line n

EXAMPLE 1

Find slopes of lines in a coordinate plane

REVIEW SLOPE

Find the slope of line a and line d.

For more help with

slope, see p. 879.

Solution

(0, 4)

b
c

(6, 4)

y2 2 y1

2
22
5}
5 21
Slope of line a: m 5 } 5 4}
x2 2 x1
628
22
y 2y

20
2
1
4
5}
Slope of line d: m 5 }
5 4}
,
x2 2 x1

626

(8, 2)
1

(4, 0)

(6, 0)

which is undefined.

GUIDED PRACTICE

for Example 1

Use the graph in Example 1. Find the slope of the line.

1. Line b

2. Line c
3.4 Find and Use Slopes of Lines

171

COMPARING SLOPES When two lines intersect in a coordinate plane, the

steeper line has the slope with greater absolute value. You can also compare
slopes to tell whether two lines are parallel or perpendicular.

For Your Notebook

POSTULATES
POSTULATE 17 Slopes of Parallel Lines

In a coordinate plane, two nonvertical lines are

parallel if and only if they have the same slope.
x

Any two vertical lines are parallel.

m1 5 m2

POSTULATE 18 Slopes of Perpendicular Lines

READ VOCABULARY
If the product of two
numbers is 21, then
the numbers are called
negative reciprocals.

In a coordinate plane, two nonvertical lines are

perpendicular if and only if the product of their
slopes is 21.

Horizontal lines are perpendicular to vertical lines.

EXAMPLE 2

m1 p m2 5 21

Identify parallel lines

Find the slope of each line. Which lines

are parallel?

k1

k2

k3

(4, 5)
(22, 4)

Solution
Find the slope of k1 through (22, 4)
and (23, 0).
024
24
5}
m1 5 }
54
23 2 (22)

(6, 3)

(23, 0)

(3, 1)
1

21

(5, 22)

Find the slope of k 2 through (4, 5)

and (3, 1).
25
24
m2 5 1}
5}
54
324

21

Find the slope of k 3 through (6, 3) and (5, 22).

23
25
m3 5 22
}5}55
526

21

c Compare the slopes. Because k1 and k 2 have the same slope, they are
parallel. The slope of k 3 is different, so k 3 is not parallel to the other lines.

GUIDED PRACTICE

for Example 2

3. Line m passes through (21, 3) and (4, 1). Line t passes through (22, 21)

and (3, 23). Are the two lines parallel? Explain how you know.

172

Chapter 3 Parallel and Perpendicular Lines

EXAMPLE 3

Draw a perpendicular line

Line h passes through (3, 0) and (7, 6). Graph the line perpendicular to h
that passes through the point (2, 5).
Solution

STEP 1 Find the slope m1 of line h through (3, 0) and (7, 6).
3
6
20
5}
5}
m1 5 6}
723

STEP 2 Find the slope m2 of a line perpendicular

h
(7, 6)

to h. Use the fact that the product of the

slopes of two perpendicular lines is 21.

REVIEW GRAPHING

22
m2 5 }
3

The y-intercept
represents the height
when the parachute
opened, so the heights
in jumps a and b were
not the same. So you
can eliminate choice A.

2
3

Multiply each side by }.

(3, 0)
1

Standardized Test Practice

A skydiver made jumps with three parachutes.

The graph shows the height of the skydiver from
the time the parachute opened to the time of the
landing for each jump. Which statement is true?
ELIMINATE CHOICES

(5, 3)

Slopes of perpendicular lines

STEP 3 Use the rise and run to graph the line.

EXAMPLE 4

22

3
2

} p m2 5 21

A The parachute opened at the same

height in jumps a and b.

Parachutes
y
Height (ft)

Given a point on a line

and the lines slope, you
can use the rise and run
to find a second point
and draw the line.

(2, 5)

4000
2000

c
b

B The parachute was open for the same

amount of time in jumps b and c.

x
2
4
Time (minutes)

C The skydiver descended at the same rate in jumps a and b.

D The skydiver descended at the same rate in jumps a and c.
Solution
The rate at which the skydiver descended is represented by the slope of the
segments. The segments that have the same slope are a and c.
c The correct answer is D. A B C D

GUIDED PRACTICE

for Examples 3 and 4

4. Line n passes through (0, 2) and (6, 5). Line m passes through (2, 4) and

(4, 0). Is n m? Explain.

5. In Example 4, which parachute is in the air for the longest time? Explain.
6. In Example 4, what do the x-intercepts represent in the situation? How can

you use this to eliminate one of the choices?

3.4 Find and Use Slopes of Lines

173

EXAMPLE 5

Solve a real-world problem

ROLLER COASTERS During the climb on the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster,

you move 41 feet upward for every 80 feet you move horizontally. At the crest
of the hill, you have moved 400 feet forward.
a. Making a Table Make a table showing the

height of the Magnum at every 80 feet it

moves horizontally. How high is the roller
coaster at the top of its climb?
b. Calculating Write a fraction that

represents the height the Magnum climbs

for each foot it moves horizontally. What
does the numerator represent?
c. Using a Graph Another roller coaster, the

Millenium Force, climbs at a slope of 1.

At its crest, the horizontal distance from
the starting point is 310 feet. Compare
this climb to that of the Magnum. Which
climb is steeper?
Solution
a.

Horizontal distance (ft)

80

160

240

320

400

Height (ft)

41

82

123

164

205

The Magnum XL-200 is 205 feet high at the top of its climb.
rise
run

41 4 80
80 4 80

0.5125
1

41
b. Slope of the Magnum 5 } 5 }
5}5}
80

The numerator, 0.5125, represents the slope in decimal form.

c. Use a graph to compare the climbs.

c The graph shows that the Millenium

Force has a steeper climb, because
the slope of its line is greater
(1 > 0.5125).
(FPNFUSZ

GUIDED PRACTICE

Roller Coaster Slopes

y
(310, 310)

Height (ft)

Let x be the horizontal distance and

let y be the height. Because the slope
of the Millenium Force is 1, the rise
is equal to the run. So the highest
point must be at (310, 310).

Millenium
Force

200

(400, 205)
Magnum

200
400 x
Horizontal distance (ft)

at classzone.com

for Example 5

7. Line q passes through the points (0, 0) and (24, 5). Line t passes through

the points (0, 0) and (210, 7). Which line is steeper, q or t?

8. WHAT IF? Suppose a roller coaster climbed 300 feet upward for every

350 feet it moved horizontally. Is it more steep or less steep than the
Magnum? than the Millenium Force?

174

Chapter 3 Parallel and Perpendicular Lines

3.4

EXERCISES

HOMEWORK
KEY

5 WORKED-OUT SOLUTIONS
on p. WS1 for Exs. 7, 13, and 35

5 STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE

Exs. 2, 34, 35, and 41

5 MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS
Ex. 37

SKILL PRACTICE
1. VOCABULARY Describe what is meant by the slope of a nonvertical line.
2.

EXAMPLE 1
on p. 171
for Exs. 312

WRITING What happens when you apply the slope formula to a

horizontal line? What happens when you apply it to a vertical line?

MATCHING Match the description of the slope of a line with its graph.

3. m is positive.

4. m is negative.

5. m is zero.

6. m is undefined.

A.

B.

C.

D.

FINDING SLOPE Find the slope of the line that passes through the points.

7. (3, 5), (5, 6)

8. (22, 2), (2, 26)

9. (25, 21), (3, 21)

10. (2, 1), (0, 6)

ERROR ANALYSIS Describe and correct the error in finding the slope of the line.

11.

12.

4
m5}
3

Slope of the line through

(2, 7) and (4, 5)

y
4

y 2y

(6, 4)

725
251
2
1
5}
m5}
5}

3
1

EXAMPLES
2 and 3
on pp. 172173
for Exs. 1318

(2, 1)
2

x2 2 x1

422

TYPES OF LINES Tell whether the lines through the given points are parallel,

perpendicular, or neither. Justify your answer.

13. Line 1: (1, 0), (7, 4)

Line 2: (7, 0), (3, 6)

14. Line 1: (23, 1), (27, 22)

Line 2: (2, 21), (8, 4)

15. Line 1: (29, 3), (25, 7)

Line 2: (211, 6), (27, 2)

GRAPHING Graph the line through the given point with the given slope.
1
6

16. P(3, 22), slope 2}

EXAMPLES
4 and 5
on pp. 173174
for Exs. 1922

5
2

2
18. P(0, 5), slope }

17. P(24, 0), slope }

STEEPNESS OF A LINE Tell which line through the given points is steeper.

19. Line 1: (22, 3), (3, 5)

Line 2: (3, 1), (6, 5)

20. Line 1: (22, 21), (1, 22)

Line 2: (25, 23), (21, 24)

21. Line 1: (24, 2), (23, 6)

Line 2: (1, 6), (3, 8)

22. REASONING Use your results from Exercises 19221. Describe a way to

determine which of two lines is steeper without graphing them.

3.4 Find and Use Slopes of Lines

175

PERPENDICULAR LINES Find the slope of line n perpendicular to line h and

passing through point P. Then copy the graph and graph line n.
23.

y
1

24.

25.

(3, 1)

(3, 4)

21
2

P(6, 1)

(23, 22)

(25, 23)
h

(2, 24)

(5, 22)

P(3, 23)

P(24, 26)

26. REASONING Use the concept of slope to decide whether the points

(23, 3), (1, 22), and (4, 0) lie on the same line. Explain your reasoning
and include a diagram.
GRAPHING Graph a line with the given description.

27. Through (0, 2) and parallel to the line through (22, 4) and (25, 1)
28. Through (1, 3) and perpendicular to the line through (21, 21) and (2, 0)
1
2

29. Through (22, 1) and parallel to the line through (3, 1) and (4, 2})
CHALLENGE Find the unknown coordinate so the line through the points

has the given slope.

30. (23, 2), (0, y); slope 22

1
31. (27, 24), (x, 0); slope }
3

32. (4, 23), (x, 1); slope 24

PROBLEM SOLVING
33. WATER SLIDE The water slide is 6 feet

tall, and the end of the slide is 9 feet

from the base of the ladder. About what
slope does the slide have?
GPS
QSPCMFN
TPMWJOH
IFMQ
BU
DMBTT[POFDPN

34.

on p. 174
for Exs. 3437

MULTIPLE CHOICE Which car has better gas mileage?

A A

B B

C Same rate

D Cannot be determined

GPS
QSPCMFN
TPMWJOH
IFMQ
BU
DMBTT[POFDPN

Gas Mileage

Gas
remaining

EXAMPLE 5

B
A
Distance driven

35.

SHORT RESPONSE Compare the graphs of the three lines described

below. Which is most steep? Which is the least steep? Include a sketch
in your answer.

Line a: through the point (3, 0) with a y-intercept of 4

Line b: through the point (3, 0) with a y-intercept greater than 4
Line c: through the point (3, 0) with a y-intercept between 0 and 4

176

5 WORKED-OUT SOLUTIONS
on p. WS1

5 STANDARDIZED
TEST PRACTICE

5 MULTIPLE
REPRESENTATIONS

36. MULTI-STEP PROBLEM Ladder safety guidelines include the following

recommendation about ladder placement. The horizontal distance h

between the base of the ladder and the object the ladder is resting against
should be about one quarter of the vertical distance v between the
ground and where the ladder rests against the object.

a. Find the recommended slope for a ladder.

b. Suppose the base of a ladder is 6 feet away from a building. The ladder

has the recommended slope. Find v.

c. Suppose a ladder is 34 feet from the ground where it touches a

building. The ladder has the recommended slope. Find h.

37.

MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS The Duquesne (pronounced du-KAYN)

Incline was built in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to move people up
and down a mountain there. On the incline, you move about 29 feet
vertically for every 50 feet you move horizontally. When you reach the
top of the hill, you have moved a horizontal distance of about 700 feet.

a. Making a Table Make a table showing the vertical

distance that the incline moves for each 50 feet of

horizontal distance during its climb. How high is
the incline at the top?
b. Drawing a Graph Write a fraction that represents

the slope of the inclines climb path. Draw a graph

to show the climb path.
c. Comparing Slopes The Burgenstock Incline in

Switzerland moves about 144 vertical feet for every

271 horizontal feet. Write a fraction to represent the
slope of this inclines path. Which incline is steeper,
the Burgenstock or the Duquesne?
38. PROVING THEOREM 3.7 Use slopes of lines to write a paragraph proof of

the Transitive Property of Parallel Lines on page 164.

AVERAGE RATE OF CHANGE In Exercises 39 and 40, slope can be used to

describe an average rate of change. To write an average rate of change,

rewrite the slope fraction so the denominator is one.
39. BUSINESS In 2000, a business made a profit of $8500. In 2006, the

business made a profit of $15,400. Find the average rate of change in

dollars per year from 2000 to 2006.
40. ROCK CLIMBING A rock climber begins climbing at a point 400 feet above

sea level. It takes the climber 45 minutes to climb to the destination,

which is 706 feet above sea level. Find the average rate of change in feet
per minute for the climber from start to finish.

3.4 Find and Use Slopes of Lines

177

41.

EXTENDED RESPONSE The line graph shows the regular season

attendance (in millions) for three professional sports organizations
from 1985 to 2000.

a. During which five-year period did the

NBA attendance increase the most?

Estimate the rate of change for this
five-year period in people per year.

b. During which five-year period did the

NHL attendance increase the most?

Estimate the rate of change for this
five-year period in people per year.
c. Interpret The line graph for the NFL

seems to be almost linear between

1985 and 2000. Write a sentence about
what this means in terms of the
real-world situation.

42. CHALLENGE Find two values of k such that the points (23, 1), (0, k),

and (k, 5) are collinear. Explain your reasoning.

MIXED REVIEW
43. Is the point (21, 27) on the line y 5 2x 2 5? Explain. (p. 878)
44. Find the intercepts of the graph of y 5 23x 1 9. (p. 879)

Use the diagram to write two examples of each postulate. (p. 96)
A

45. Through any two points there exists exactly one line.

46. Through any three noncollinear points there exists exactly

one plane.

PREVIEW

Solve the equation for y. Write a reason for each step. (p. 105)

Prepare for
Lesson 3.5 in
Exs. 4749.

47. 6x 1 4y 5 40

5
1
48. }
x2}
y 5 210
2

49. 16 2 3y 5 24x

QUIZ for Lessons 3.33.4

Find the value of x that makes m i n. (p. 161)
1.

2.
2x8

3.

(3x 2 5)8

888
m

1458

548

(4x 2 12)8

Find the slope of the line that passes through the given points. (p. 171)
4. (1, 21), (3, 3)

178

5. (1, 2), (4, 5)

EXTR A PR ACTICE for Lesson 3.4, p. 901

6. (23, 22), (27, 26)

ONLINE QUIZ at classzone.com

Technology

ACTIVITY Use after Lesson 3.4

classzone.com
Keystrokes

3.4 Investigate Slopes

M AT E R I A L S graphing calculator or computer

QUESTION

How can you verify the Slopes of Parallel Lines Postulate?

You can verify the postulates you learned in Lesson 3.4 using geometry
drawing software.

EXAMPLE

Verify the Slopes of Parallel Lines Postulate

STEP 1 Show axes Show the x-axis and the y-axis by

choosing Hide/Show Axes from the F5 menu.

STEP 2 Draw line Draw a line by choosing Line from the

F2 menu. Do not use one of the axes as your line.

Choose a point on the line and label it A.
STEPS 13

STEP 3 Graph point Graph a point not on the line by

choosing Point from the F2 menu.

F5
Hide/Show
Alph-Num
Display
-2 Measure
A Coord.&Eq.
Calculate
Clear

STEP 4 Draw parallel line Choose Parallel from the F3

menu and select the line. Then select the point
not on the line.

STEP 5 Measure slopes Select one line and choose

Measure Slope from the F5 menu. Repeat this
step for the second line.

STEPS 45

STEP 6 Move line Drag point A to move the line. What

do you expect to happen?

-2

PRACTICE

-2

1. Use geometry drawing software to verify the Slopes of

Perpendicular Lines Postulate.

STEP 6

a. Construct a line and a point not on that line. Use Steps

13 from the Example above.

b. Construct a line that is perpendicular to your original

line and passes through the given point.

c. Measure the slopes of the two lines. Multiply the slopes.

What do you expect the product of the slopes to be?

2. WRITING Use the arrow keys to move your line from Exercise 1. Describe

what happens to the product of the slopes when one of the lines is
vertical. Explain why this happens.

3.4 Find and Use Slopes of Lines

179