Maths problem involving Coordimate Geometry

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sanosuke Sagara
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Geometry
AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on finding the equation of a straight line with x-intercept a and y-intercept b, and how it varies according to the condition involving c. The phrase "foot of the perpendicular from the origin to this line" refers to the intersection point where the perpendicular from the origin meets the line. As the values of a and b change, this intersection point traces a path. The resulting locus of this point is shown to be the curve defined by the equation X^2 + Y^2 = C^2. This demonstrates the relationship between the intercepts and the geometric properties of the line.
Sanosuke Sagara
Messages
102
Reaction score
0
find the equation of a straight line whose x-intercept and y-intercept are a and b respectively.If this line varies such that \frac{1}{a^2} + \frac{1}{b^2} = \frac{1}{c^2}with c as a constant,show that the locus of the foot of the perpendicular from the origin to this line is the curve
X^2 +Y^2 = C^2.


I want to ask what is meant by the phrase 'foot of the perpendicular from the origin to this line ' ?

I hope that somebody will help me to explain the meaning and thanks for anybody that spend some time on this question.
 
Last edited:
Mathematics news on Phys.org
The 'foot of the perpendicular from the origin to this line' means the curve which the intesection of the line and the perpendicular forms as a and b are varied. This intersection point changes with a and b, and the path that it traces they move through all their possible values is what the question is looking for.
 
Fermat's Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book Arithmetica by Diophantus of Alexandria. It gained popularity because Fermat noted in his copy "Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagorus'
I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...

Similar threads

Replies
20
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
6K
Replies
10
Views
2K
Replies
14
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Back
Top