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Is a straight line the shortest distance between two points?
The popular definition of a “straight line” as “the shortest distance between two points” is one of the few pieces of mathematical jargon in general circulation in the English language.
What is the shortest distance between the point?
In Euclidean geometry, the distance from a point to a line is the shortest distance from a given point to any point on an infinite straight line. It is the perpendicular distance of the point to the line, the length of the line segment which joins the point to nearest point on the line.
How to find the shortest distance between two points on a plane?
So, y ′ = c 1 − c 2 = c o n s t a n t. The only curve which has a constant slope throughout is a straight line. Further, we can also integrate the above differential equation to yield the popular equation of straight line, i.e., y = m x + b. Hence, the shortest distance between two points on a 2D plane is indeed a straight line.
What is the shortest distance between two points on the sphere?
The shortest distance between two points on the sphere is not a straight line. I recommend you to read about geodesics. If I recall what I’ve seen from Neil deGrasse Tyson correctly, he said that for what we currently have observed in the universe, a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
What is the shortest distance between two points in the universe?
If I recall what I’ve seen from Neil deGrasse Tyson correctly, he said that for what we currently have observed in the universe, a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. However, something that we have very healthily theorized about is worm holes.
What is the shortest path between two points called?
It was Archimedes who first articulated that the shortest path between two points is a straight line. You have most likely heard of the Law of Straight Lines, it’s one of the basic principles of geometry. Here’s a quick example to illustrate it’s meaning and significance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnvdFm-9-xI