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How to find the distance between two parallel lines?

2 Answers

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Final answer:

To find the distance between two parallel lines, you need to find the perpendicular distance between them. The distance is equal to the length of the perpendicular line connecting them.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the distance between two parallel lines, you need to find the perpendicular distance between them. The shortest distance between two parallel lines occurs when you drop a perpendicular line from any point on one line to the other line. This perpendicular line acts as a measure of the shortest distance between the two parallel lines. So, the distance between two parallel lines is equal to the length of the perpendicular line connecting them.

For example, consider two parallel lines with equations Ax + By + C1 = 0 and Ax + By + C2 = 0. The distance between these two parallel lines is given by the formula:

d = |C2 - C1| / sqrt(A^2 + B^2

User Bobbin
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First you need to find the slope of the two lines. Because they are parallel, they are the same slope, so if you find the slope of one, you have the slope of both. Start at the \begin{align*}y-\end{align*}intercept of the top line.
User Karl Entwistle
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