Shortest Paths : All in One

by Kanchan Manaktala and Ravinder Kumar

You might like to press F11 to view the Microworld in Full Screen mode.

In general, we tell the Mathematical Story above the Microworld, and place the Interaction Instructions below it.

The Story:

In this book we explore the concept of shortest distance from a point to both a line and a curve in general, developed in separate sections. The user is given an opportunity to explore consequences/characteristics of the shortest distance. Shortest distance from a point to a curve is obtained using optimization technique in single variable calculus. Shortest distance from a point to a line is studied using the formula in Cartesian geometry as well as optimization techniques. At the end of each section the user can practice finding shortest distance using well-explained commands by randomly generating problems.

This book may be used for

1. College Algebra
2. Pre-Calculus
3. Calculus I

Interaction Instructions:

The exploration pages give explanations of the steps to take in the exploration on the screen.