Find the equation of a line which passes through the point $ (1, - 2) $ and cuts off equal intercepts from axes.
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Ans:
Given: Line passes through the point $ (1, - 2) $ .
Let the intercept made by the line be $ a $ on $ x - $ axis and the intercept on $ y - $ axis be $ b $ .
So, equation of line is $ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 $ .
Given that $ a = b $ .
$ \Rightarrow \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{a} = 1 $
It passes through $ (1, - 2) $ , so $ \frac{1}{a} - \frac{2}{a} = 1 $
$ \Rightarrow - \frac{1}{a} = 1 $
$ \Rightarrow a = - 1 $
So, equation of line will be $ \frac{x}{{ - 1}} + \frac{y}{{ - 1}} = 1 $
$ x + y = - 1 $
Therefore, the equation is $ x + y + 1 = 0 $ .