5

The points are$$(5,-5) and (1,1)$$

I tried doing this visually and came up with (0,-5). This wasn't correct once I applied the distance formula to check the distance between that point and the two others.

Cherry_Developer
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2 Answers2

10

You want the point where the perpendicular bisector of the two points cuts the $y$-axis.

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The slope of the line between $(5,-5)$ and $(1,1)$ is $-\frac{3}{2}$, so the slope of the normal is $\frac23$. Hence the normal through the mid-point $(3,-2)$ cuts the $y$-axis at $(0,-4)$.

TonyK
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  • +1 because on seeing the question I thought to myself, "well personally I'd just solve the equation, but what would that teach you about the set of points equidistant between A and B?" :-) – Steve Jessop Aug 26 '14 at 13:19
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    @Steve: Yes! I was disturbed by all those quadratic terms in the other answers, which always cancelled each other out. – TonyK Aug 26 '14 at 13:22
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    That's an insight in itself, mind you. They cancel out so that the set of equidistant points can be a straight line, as opposed to something curved if there were quadratic terms left in there! – Steve Jessop Aug 26 '14 at 13:23
  • This also illustrates why it's always possible to find such a point, unless the given points lie on a horizontal line (which would make the perpendicular bisector parallel to the $y$-axis. – cjm Aug 26 '14 at 14:31
5

A point on the $y-$axis is of the form $(0,y)$.

The distance between $(0,y)$ and $(5,-5)$ is: $$\sqrt{(5-0)^2+(-5-y)^2}=\sqrt{25+(5+y)^2}$$

The distance between $(0,y)$ and $(1,1)$ is: $$\sqrt{(1-0)^2+(1-y)^2}=\sqrt{1+(1-y)^2}$$

The two distances are equal, so also their squares:

$$25+(5+y)^2=1+(1-y)^2$$

Now you have to solve for $y$.

Mary Star
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