| Title |
On finding the shortest distance of a point from a line:
Which method do you prefer?
|
| Author/s |
Bhalchandra Gore
Centre for Modeling and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411 007 India
|
| Abstract |
The formula for the shortest distance of a point from a line can be derived in several
different ways. Some typical methods are taught at the elementary (i.e., high-school and
junior college) level. However, solving such "school-book" problems using the advanced
mathematical methods is often overlooked and neglected. This article illustrates how this
formula can be derived in various ways. Such a comparison will not only encourage the
reader to explore and understand how and why do mathematical techniques work, but it
will also help understand a common thread between different branches of mathematics. This
exercise also shows that "the best way" to solve a mathematical problem is a misnomer.
|
| Keywords |
Mathematics pedagogy, shortest distance, mathematical methods, optimization, Lagrange multiplier
|
| Download |
Journal
|
| Citing This Document |
Bhalchandra Gore
,
On finding the shortest distance of a point from a line:
Which method do you prefer?
.
Outreach Document
CMS-OD-20161102
of the Centre for Modeling and Simulation,
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India (2016);
available at http://scms.unipune.ac.in/reports/.
|
| Notes, Published Reference, Etc. |
Published as Resonance 22(7), 705–714, July 2017.
|
| Contact |
bwgore AT scms.unipune.ac.in
|
| Supplementary Material |
|