PRINCIPIA · THEOREM

Perpendicular from a point to a line exists and is unique

Dependencies: Protractor axiom, Linear pair sums to 180°, SAS congruence, Exterior angle > either non-adjacent interior angle.

Statement

Let \ell be a line and PP any point in the plane (either PP\in\ell or PP\notin\ell). Then there exists and is unique a line \ell' through PP that is perpendicular to \ell.

Unified statement of the two cases: on the left, when P\in\ell, take the 90^\circ ray directly via the protractor to obtain \ell'; on the right, when P\notin\ell, construct \ell' through P perpendicular to \ell at the foot F.

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