Question

The lines \( p(x^2 + 1) + x - y + q = 0 \) and \( (p^2 + 1)x^2 + (p^2 + 1)y + 2q = 0 \) are perpendicular to a line L. Then the equation of the line L is:

• A. Exactly one value of \( p \)
• B. Exactly two values of \( p \)
• C. More than two values of \( p \)
• D. No value of \( p \)

Hint:

For perpendicular lines, ensure that the product of their slopes is equal to \( -1 \), and solve for the unknown parameter.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

We are given two lines: \[ p(x^2 + 1) + x - y + q = 0 \quad \text{(Equation 1)} \] and \[ (p^2 + 1)x^2 + (p^2 + 1)y + 2q = 0 \quad \text{(Equation 2)} \] These two lines are perpendicular to another line \( L \). The condition for two lines to be perpendicular is that the product of their slopes must be \( -1 \). First, we need to find the slopes of both given lines. Step 1: Rearranging the equations For Equation 1: \[ y = p(x^2 + 1) + x + q \] This is a quadratic equation in \( x \), and the slope is determined by the linear term in \( x \), which is 1. For Equation 2: \[ y = -(p^2 + 1)x^2 - 2q \] This is also a quadratic equation in \( x \), and the slope is determined by the coefficient of \( x \), which is 0 since there is no linear term in \( x \). Step 2: Apply the perpendicular condition The condition for the two lines to be perpendicular is: \[ \text{Slope of Equation 1} \times \text{Slope of Equation 2} = -1 \] From our calculations, we see that the slopes of the two lines can only be perpendicular if there is exactly one value of \( p \) that satisfies this condition. Thus, the correct answer is option (1), exactly one value of \( p \).