Answer:
To find the distance between a point and a line in a plane, we can use the formula:
distance = |Ax + By + C| / √(A^2 + B^2)
where A, B, and C are the coefficients of the general form of the line equation (Ax + By + C = 0), and (x,y) are the coordinates of the point.
First, we need to rewrite the given line equation in the standard form (y = mx + b):
2x - 3y = -2
-3y = -2x - 2
y = (2/3)x + 2/3
Now we can identify the slope (m) and y-intercept (b) of the line:
m = 2/3
b = 2/3
Next, we can find the equation of the perpendicular line that passes through the point (1,2), since the distance between the point and the line will be the length of the segment connecting the point to the intersection of these two lines. The slope of a line perpendicular to a line with slope m is -1/m, so the equation of the perpendicular line passing through (1,2) is:
y - 2 = (-3/2)(x - 1)
y = (-3/2)x + (7/2)
Now we need to find the intersection of the two lines by solving the system of equations:
y = (2/3)x + 2/3
y = (-3/2)x + (7/2)
(-3/2)x + (7/2) = (2/3)x + 2/3
(-13/6)x = -5/6
x = 5/13
y = (2/3)(5/13) + 2/3
y = 11/13
So the intersection point of the two lines is (5/13, 11/13). Now we can use the distance formula to find the distance between this point and the given point (1,2):
distance = √[(5/13 - 1)^2 + (11/13 - 2)^2]
distance = √[(36/169) + (25/169)]
distance = √(61/169)
distance = √61/13
The closest answer choice is (A) √13, but the simplified expression is actually √61/13. Therefore, none of the answer choices provided are completely accurate.
Explanation: