Mathematics A-Level
perpendicular lines
What perpendicular lines means in Mathematics A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of perpendicular lines
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain perpendicular lines in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Lines that meet at a right angle. For non-vertical lines, their gradients have product −1, so each gradient is the negative reciprocal of the other.
Topics that use perpendicular lines
- Coordinate geometry in the (x, y) plane (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- angle in a semicircle
- Completing the square
- Eliminating the parameter
- gradient
- linear modelling
- negative reciprocal
- Parallel and perpendicular gradients
- Parameter
Using perpendicular lines in the exam
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