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Cartesian Coordinates

The document discusses formulas and methods for working with straight lines. It provides over a dozen equations for defining straight lines based on different parameters like slope, two points, an angle and intercept. It also gives formulas for finding the intersection and angle between two lines, as well as determining if lines are parallel or perpendicular. Several example problems are worked through, such as finding two points a given distance from a reference point on a line defined by a slope ratio, and calculating the distance from a point to a line at a specified angle.

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mahitumikoi
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29 views3 pages

Cartesian Coordinates

The document discusses formulas and methods for working with straight lines. It provides over a dozen equations for defining straight lines based on different parameters like slope, two points, an angle and intercept. It also gives formulas for finding the intersection and angle between two lines, as well as determining if lines are parallel or perpendicular. Several example problems are worked through, such as finding two points a given distance from a reference point on a line defined by a slope ratio, and calculating the distance from a point to a line at a specified angle.

Uploaded by

mahitumikoi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Straight Lines

sillyMistakes
28 September 2023

§1 Formulas
ˆ Equation of a straight line:

– Given a point P (x1 , y1 ) and the slope m,

y − y1 = m(x − x1 )

– Given two points (x1 , y1 ) and (x2 , y2 ),


y − y1 y1 − y2
=
x − x1 x1 − x2

– Given the slope m and the intersection with the y-axis c,

y = mx + c

– Given the intersections with x and y axes a and b,


x y
+ =1
a b

– Given the altitude p from (0, 0) and the angle θ between the altitude and the
positive x-axis,
x cos θ + y sin θ = p

– Given a point (x1 , y1 ) the angle θ between the line and the positive x-axis,
x − x1 y − y1
=
cos θ sin θ

– Given a point (α, β) and a parallel line ax + by + c,

ax + by = aα + bβ

– Given a point (α, β) and a perpendicular line ax + by + c,

bx − ay = bα − aβ

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sillyMistakes — 28 September 2023 Straight Lines

ˆ Cartesian Intersection: If a1 x + b1 y + c1 = 0 and a2 x + b2 y + c2 are two lines their


intersection is given by,
b 1 c 2 − b 2 c 1 c 1 a2 − c 2 a1
( , )
a1 b 2 − a2 b 1 a1 b 2 − a2 b 1

ˆ Cartesian Angle: Given lines m1 x + c1 and m2 x + c2 , the angle between them is


given by,
m1 − m2
± tan−1
1 + m1 m2
Given lines a1 x + b1 y + c1 and a2 x + b2 y + c2 and the angle between them θ,
a2 b 1 − a1 b 2
tan θ = ±
a1 a2 + b 1 b 2

ˆ Parallerlity Criterion: The lines m1 x + c1 and m2 x + c2 are parallel iff

m1 = m2

The lines a1 x + b1 y + c1 and a2 x + b2 y + c2 are paraller iff


a1 b1
=
a2 b2

ˆ Perpendicularity Criterion: The lines m1 x + c1 and m2 x + c2 are perpendicular iff

m1 m2 = −1

The lines a1 x + b1 y + c1 and a2 x + b2 y + c2 are perpendicular iff

a1 a2 + b 1 b 2 = 0

ˆ Cartesian Altitude The length of the altitude from (x1 , y1 ) to ax + by + c is given


by,
|ax1 + by1 + c|
√
a2 + b 2
ˆ Distance between parallel lines: The distance between lines ax + by + c1 and
ax + by + c2 is given by
|c − c2 |
√1
a2 + b 2
ˆ Cartesian Angle Bisector: The angle bisector of lines a1 x+b1 y+c1 and a2 x+b2 y+c2
is given by,
a1 x + b 1 y + c 1 a2 x + b 2 y + c 2
p
2 2
=± p 2
a1 + b 1 a2 + b22

§2 Methods

2
sillyMistakes — 28 September 2023 Straight Lines

Example 2.1
The slope of line l is m/n. Determine two points located at distance d from a point
(α, β) on this line.
m
Assume l forms angle θ with the x-axis. Then, tan θ = n
and so
m n
sin θ = √ , cos θ = √
2
m +n 2 m + n2
2

or
m n
sin θ = − √ , cos θ = − √
m 2 + n2 m 2 + n2
so the equation of the line is given by,
x−α y−β
= =d
cos θ sin θ
from where we can calculate x and y.
n
x = α + d cos θ = α + d · √ ,
m2 + n2
m
y = β + d sin θ = β + d · √
m2+ n2
or
−n
x = α + d cos θ = α + d · √ ,
m2 + n2
−m
y = β + d sin θ = β + d · √
m2 + n2

Example 2.2
What is the distance from A = (−1, 1) to the line 3x + 5y − 11 = 0 along a line that
makes an angle 45◦ with the positive x-axis.

Walkthrough.

1. Determine the line l that goes through P and has slope tan 45◦ .

2. Calculate the intersection P of l and 3x + 5y − 11 = 0.

3. Calculate the distance AP . Done.

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