Is distance the shortest path traveled between two points?

(The distance between two points is the shortest distance along any path). Such a distance function is known as a metric.

Is the shortest distance between two points always a straight line?

No, a straight line isn’t always the shortest distance between two points. The shortest distance between two points depends on the geometry of the object/surface in question. All of us were taught at an early age that ‘a line is the shortest distance between two points’.

What is the distance between two points?

The distance between two points is defined as the length of the straight line connecting these points in the coordinate plane. This distance can never be negative, therefore we take the absolute value while finding the distance between two given points.

What do you mean by the shortest route between two places?

(iii) Great Circles are the shortest routes between two places as we can connect any two places on the earth’s surface by the curvature line of the great circle. And this curvature is the smallest possible route between those two places, because this curvature directly connects those places or points.

What is the fastest route between two points?

A Brachistochrone curve is the fastest path for a ball to roll between two points that are at different heights. A ball can roll along the curve faster than a straight line between the points. The curve will always be the quickest route regardless of how strong gravity is or how heavy the object is.

What is the shortest distance from any point to a line?

Explanations (1) The shortest distance from a point to a line is the segment perpendicular to the line from the point.

Which path does light take the shortest time to travel?

Light does travel on the path which would take the shortest time to travel between two points. This nature of light best explains the refraction of light when traveling across two mediums of different refractive index.

How does the path of light work?

Light (roughly) follows the shortest path between the points it actually travels between. Where it doesn’t go, it doesn’t go. It’s not a matter of choosing a destination to minimise the path; light will quite naturally propagate outwards from (say) a glowing hot source in all available directions.

What is the ray of light principle?

This principle states that the path taken between two points by a ray of light is the path that can be traversed in the shortest time but not the shortest path. We can explain it in simple words.

Why does light travel at different speeds in different materials?

Physicist: Light travels at different speeds in different materials. When you shine a beam of light from one material into another (like from air to water) it bends in such a way that the path it takes from one point to another requires the least possible time.