What is the slope of the bisector of angle ABC?

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In summary, the problem involves finding the slope of the bisector of angle ABC, given points A, B, and C with coordinates (1,2), (0,0), and (-1,3) respectively. The attempt at a solution involved finding the lengths and slopes of the sides BA, BC, and AC, and recognizing that AC is perpendicular to AB. Using trigonometry, the solution can be found by applying the tangent angle sum identity and knowing that the tangent of angle ABC is equal to the square root of 3.
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um0123
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Homework Statement



A, B, and C, are points (1,2), (0,0), and (-1,3) respectively.

Homework Equations



Find the slope of the bisector of angle ABC.

The Attempt at a Solution



I have done the following and don't know how it helpsL

-found length of BA, BC, and AC
-found the slope of BA, and BC
-i don't know where to go from here

The length of BA is √5

The length of BC is √10

The length of AC is √5

The slope of BA is 2

The slope of BC is -3

Please do not do the work for me, i just need some advice as to what to do from here.
 
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P.S. this is probably not precalculus, but this is problem that was in my precalculus book (i think we a re reviewing from algebra).

i forgot so much from last year:confused:
 
  • #3
I'm not quite sure how'd one would go about doing this problem without a bit of trigonometry, but for starters, the segment AC has slope -1/2 and is therefore perpendicular to AB. Hence CAB is a right triangle (i.e. angle CAB is a right angle). This forces the distance of AC to be sqrt(15) (This is verifiable even if CAB isn't right).

But since CAB is a right triangle then the tangent of angle ABC is [itex]\sqrt(15)/\sqrt(5) =\sqrt(3)[/itex]. This along with a well timed tangent angle sum indentity should get you the answer.

--Elucidus
 

What is the slope of a bisector?

The slope of a bisector is the slope of the line that divides an angle into two equal parts. It is perpendicular to the line that forms the angle, and its value is the negative reciprocal of the slope of the original line.

How do you find the slope of a bisector?

To find the slope of a bisector, first determine the slope of the original line. Then, take the negative reciprocal of this slope. Finally, you can use the point-slope formula to find the equation of the bisector line.

Why is the slope of a bisector important?

The slope of a bisector is important because it can help us find the equation of the line that divides an angle into two equal parts. This can be useful in many geometric and mathematical applications, such as finding the angle bisector of a triangle.

Can the slope of a bisector be negative?

Yes, the slope of a bisector can be negative. This means that the bisector line will be sloping downward from left to right, as opposed to upward. The important thing to remember is that the slope of a bisector is always the negative reciprocal of the original line's slope.

How is the slope of a bisector related to the slopes of the original lines?

The slope of a bisector is related to the slopes of the original lines in that it is the negative reciprocal of those slopes. This means that if the original lines have slopes m1 and m2, then the slope of the bisector will be -1/m1 and -1/m2, respectively.

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