Question

Alright, freshman accelerated honors geometry problem. I need ton of help. How do you find the distance between a point and a line?
Ex:
Line L contains points (11,-1) and (-3,-11). Point P has coordinates (-1,1).

HELP.

Answer 1

Ever consider you shouldn't be in accelerated honors geometry?

Answer 2

No? This is actually the only topic we've covered that I don't understand. I feel like that was an insult...

Answer 3

Slope of line L gives you slope of perpendicular.....

Answer 4

okay so you need to use the distance formula to find the distance between two points :)
\[d=\sqrt {(y_2-y_1)+(x_2-x_1)}\]

Answer 5

estudier? What?

Answer 6

Find midpoint between the two points on the given line, use distance formula to find the distance between the given point and the midpoint.

Answer 7

so using that you would get \[L=\sqrt{(-11+1)+(-3-11)}\]

Answer 8

All I know is that I need to find the point the coordinate is closest to on the line, then use the slope to find the length of the line its used to.

Answer 9

No, Yummy, this is the correct way.

Answer 10

yummydum, thats the distance from an endpoint to the point, not the line.

Answer 11

okay well go with what sire crayon has to saay

Answer 12

You're finding a farther distance than needed

Answer 13

i was getting to that

Answer 14

yeah

Answer 15

http://math.ucsd.edu/~wgarner/math4c/derivations/distance/distptline.htm

Answer 16

http://screensnapr.com/v/14wXYK.jpg

Answer 17

Explanation, answer is 8.6.

Answer 18

@yummydum your distance was 12.17, much farther than the actual distance.

Answer 19

estudier that is not how i remember us learning it in school, we learned a shorter way

Answer 20

It is short, they are just explaining everything in great detail.

Answer 21

again...that wasnt my final answer i was getting to the point...but i see uve got this covered

Answer 22

estudier that makes it look very confusing :P

Answer 23

Ok i think i understand it now. Thanks Luke