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If you translate (move without rotation) a copy of the line towards the curve, the first point where the line touches the curve (the tangent to the curve with the slope of the original line) will be the point on the curve closest to the line.

Draw a connecting line from this tangent point to the original line, intersecting that original line at right angles.

Measure the connecting segment. It is the shortest distance.

Vector analysis will give a mathematically strict solution, I do not have the ability to explain this in sufficient detail.

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14y ago

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Q: What is the shortest distance between a straight line and a curve?
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