Distance from a point to a line the perpendicular "R". Draw the vertical line through "P" and label its intersection with the given line "S". At any point "T" on the line, draw a right triangle "TVU" whose sides are horizontal and vertical line segments with hypotenuse "TU" on the given line and horizontal side of length |"B"| (see diagram). The vertical side of ∆"TVU" will have length |"A"| since the line has slope -"A"/"B". ∆"PRS" and ∆"TVU" are similar triangles, since they are both right triangles and ∠"PSR" ≅ ∠"TUV" since they are corresponding angles of a transversal to the parallel lines "PS" and "UV" (both
Special right triangle Pell numbers 1, 2, 5, 12, 29, 70, 169, 408, 985, 2378... .. The smallest Pythagorean triples resulting are: Alternatively, the same triangles can be derived from the square triangular numbers. The Kepler triangle is a right triangle whose sides are in a geometric progression. If the sides are formed from the geometric progression "a", "ar", "ar" then its common ratio "r" is given by "r" = where "φ" is the golden ratio. Its sides are therefore in the ratio . Thus, the shape of the Kepler triangle is uniquely determined (up to a scale factor) by the requirement that