What is Perpendicular Distance?
The perpendicular distance is nothing but the shortest distance from a point to a line, measured along a line that is perpendicular to the given line.
This concept is very useful in various fields, including engineering, computer graphics, and physics, it helps in optimizing designs and solving problems.
Understanding the Perpendicular Distance Formula
To calculate the perpendicular distance from a point(x1,y1) to a line which is represented as equation(Ax+By+c=0), you can use the below formula
distance(d) = |Ax+By+c|/Sqrt(A^2+b^2)
- d is the perpendicular distance from the point to the line.
- (x1,y1) are the coordinates of the point.
- A,B,C are coefficients from the line equation.
How to use the Perpendicular Distance Calculator
Our distance from point to line calculator is designed to make this calculation straightforward.
- Enter the coefficients A,B,C of the line equation in their fields
- Enter the coordinates x1 and y1 of the point and select unit(optional)
- Click the calculate button, and our tool will compute the perpendicular distance for you.
Applications of Perpendicular Distance
Understanding how to calculate the perpendicular distance has numerous applications
- Helps in assessing distances in structural designs and layouts.
- Assists in rendering graphics accurately by calculating distances in 2D and 3D spaces.
- Used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to mapping and spatial analysis to determine distances between geographical features.