The Perpendicular Distance from a Point to a Line
In this video, I demonstrate how to calculate the perpendicular distance from a point (2, -1) to the line described by the equation y = 3x + 1.
In order to calculate this distance, we use the "Perpendicular Distance Formula", given by:
d = |A*m + B*n + C| / √(A^2 + B^2)
where:
A, B and C are the constants of a standard form linear equation: Ax + By + C = 0, and m is the x-coordinate of the point of interest, and n is the y-coordinate of the point of interest.
Thus, rearranging the equation of our line from y = 3x + 1 to 3x - y + 1 = 0 gives the values (A, B, C) = (3, -1, 1) and our point of interest (m, n) = (2, -1)
Thanks for watching. Please give me a "thumbs up" if you have found this video helpful.
Please ask me a maths question by commenting below and I will try to help you in future videos.
