Let be the point on the hyperbola , which is nearest to the line . Then is equal to:
- A
- B
- C
- D
Let be the point on the hyperbola , which is nearest to the line . Then is equal to:
Correct answer:A
Standard Method
Given: The hyperbola is
and the line is
Find: The value of where is the nearest point on the hyperbola to the given line.
From the solution working, the slope of the line is
For a point on the hyperbola, the solution uses the parametric form
The slope condition for the nearest point is written as
So,
Hence the corresponding point is
which simplifies to
Therefore,
So the computed value is .
However, the solution explicitly states "The Correct Option is A", while the computed value matches option C. for the answer field, the marked answer is A even though the working gives .
Working Shown in the solution
Given:
Find: .
The solution states:
Thus the final value obtained from the working is .
Using the line slope incorrectly as instead of is wrong because the line is . Always rewrite the line in slope-intercept form before comparing slopes.
Taking the nearest point to mean minimizing distance from the origin is incorrect. The distance must be minimized from the point on the hyperbola to the given line, so the normal-direction or optimization condition must involve the line.
Making a sign error while evaluating gives the wrong final option. After finding and , substitute carefully into in the stated order, not .
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