[Math] Equation of a line passing through a point and forming a triangle with the axes

algebra-precalculusgeometry

How can I find the equation of a line that;

  • is passing through the point (8, 6) and
  • is forming a triangle of area 12 with the axes

?

So I tried to start using $A = |{\frac{mn}{2}}|$ and got that $m\cdot n$ is either -24 or 24. What now?

Best Answer

Equation of lines that passes through $(8,6)$ is $y=ax+6-8a$ and with axes that has common points $(0,6-8a),(8-\frac{6}{a},0)$. Then the surface of right triangle is $$S=\frac{(8-\frac{6}{a})(6-8a)}{2}=12$$

after simplification we get equation

$$16a^2-30a+9=0$$ with solutions $$a_1=6,a_2=24$$ there exists two lines with such proppertie $$l_1:y=6x-42$$ $$l_2:y=24x-186$$