Need some basic math help
So....I was looking through a geometry textbook and totally forgot how to find the the distance between 2 lines. I know you use the distance formula but I'm unsure how to do it with equations in slope intercept form...
Help?
October 24, 2012
4 Comments • Newest first
if they're parallel:
y1=mx+a
y2=mx+b
Subtract the equations
y1-y2=(mx+a)-(mx+b)
y1-y2 = a-b
It's a-b
This is a vertical segment. The shortest distance is this times the sin of the angle the lines make with the horizontal.
... i feel stupid now because i learned this last year and dont remember how to do this
graph the points from slope intercept form? Convert it into point slope form?
Implying the lines are parallel, you can just find a point on each line and then just find the distance between those two points.