Distance between a Point and a Plane
In this post, i will be writing about how to find the distance of a point from a plane from the coordinates of the point and the equation of the plane. When we talk about the distance of a point to a plane we are talking about the shortest path connecting the point to the plane. The shortest path from a point to a plane is the path which is perpendicular to the plane. The length of the shortest path is what we are calling ‘the distance between the point and the plane’. If the point is ON the plane, then obviously the distance is zero. In the above picture, QR is the shortest path from point Q to plane P, where point R on the plane is the foot of the perpendicular. Equation of P is 2x + y - 2z = 5. Let coordinates of the foot of the perpendicular be (a, b, c). Clearly, Q is not on P as the coordinates of Q does not satisfy the equation of P. So QR is a non-zero distance. (6 - 1 - 4 = 1 ≠ 0). Define a vector from Q to R(\(\overrightarrow{QR}\)) or from R to Q(\(\overrightarro