以下是Grumdrig解决方案的一个更完整的说明。这个版本还返回最近的点本身。

#include "stdio.h"
#include "math.h"

class Vec2
{
public:
    float _x;
    float _y;

    Vec2()
    {
        _x = 0;
        _y = 0;
    }

    Vec2( const float x, const float y )
    {
        _x = x;
        _y = y;
    }

    Vec2 operator+( const Vec2 &v ) const
    {
        return Vec2( this->_x + v._x, this->_y + v._y );
    }

    Vec2 operator-( const Vec2 &v ) const
    {
        return Vec2( this->_x - v._x, this->_y - v._y );
    }

    Vec2 operator*( const float f ) const
    {
        return Vec2( this->_x * f, this->_y * f );
    }

    float DistanceToSquared( const Vec2 p ) const
    {
        const float dX = p._x - this->_x;
        const float dY = p._y - this->_y;

        return dX * dX + dY * dY;
    }

    float DistanceTo( const Vec2 p ) const
    {
        return sqrt( this->DistanceToSquared( p ) );
    }

    float DotProduct( const Vec2 p ) const
    {
        return this->_x * p._x + this->_y * p._y;
    }
};

// return minimum distance between line segment vw and point p, and the closest point on the line segment, q
float DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( const Vec2 v, const Vec2 w, const Vec2 p, Vec2 * const q )
{
    const float distSq = v.DistanceToSquared( w ); // i.e. |w-v|^2 ... avoid a sqrt
    if ( distSq == 0.0 )
    {
        // v == w case
        (*q) = v;

        return v.DistanceTo( p );
    }

    // consider the line extending the segment, parameterized as v + t (w - v)
    // we find projection of point p onto the line
    // it falls where t = [(p-v) . (w-v)] / |w-v|^2

    const float t = ( p - v ).DotProduct( w - v ) / distSq;
    if ( t < 0.0 )
    {
        // beyond the v end of the segment
        (*q) = v;

        return v.DistanceTo( p );
    }
    else if ( t > 1.0 )
    {
        // beyond the w end of the segment
        (*q) = w;

        return w.DistanceTo( p );
    }

    // projection falls on the segment
    const Vec2 projection = v + ( ( w - v ) * t );

    (*q) = projection;

    return p.DistanceTo( projection );
}

float DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( float segmentX1, float segmentY1, float segmentX2, float segmentY2, float pX, float pY, float *qX, float *qY )
{
    Vec2 q;

    float distance = DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( Vec2( segmentX1, segmentY1 ), Vec2( segmentX2, segmentY2 ), Vec2( pX, pY ), &q );

    (*qX) = q._x;
    (*qY) = q._y;

    return distance;
}

void TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( float segmentX1, float segmentY1, float segmentX2, float segmentY2, float pX, float pY )
{
    float qX;
    float qY;
    float d = DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( segmentX1, segmentY1, segmentX2, segmentY2, pX, pY, &qX, &qY );
    printf( "line segment = ( ( %f, %f ), ( %f, %f ) ), p = ( %f, %f ), distance = %f, q = ( %f, %f )\n",
            segmentX1, segmentY1, segmentX2, segmentY2, pX, pY, d, qX, qY );
}

void TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint()
{
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 20, 10, 5, 4 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 20, 10, 30, 15 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 20, 10, -30, 15 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 10, 0, 5, 1 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 0, 10, 1, 5 );
}

如果它是一条无限大的直线，而不是一条线段，最简单的方法是这样(在ruby中)，其中mx + b是直线，(x1, y1)是已知的点

(y1 - mx1 - b).abs / Math.sqrt(m**2 + 1)

在我自己的问题线程如何计算在C, c# / .NET 2.0或Java的所有情况下一个点和线段之间的最短2D距离?当我找到一个c#的答案时，我被要求把它放在这里:所以它是从http://www.topcoder.com/tc?d1=tutorials&d2=geometry1&module=Static修改的:

//Compute the dot product AB . BC
private double DotProduct(double[] pointA, double[] pointB, double[] pointC)
{
    double[] AB = new double[2];
    double[] BC = new double[2];
    AB[0] = pointB[0] - pointA[0];
    AB[1] = pointB[1] - pointA[1];
    BC[0] = pointC[0] - pointB[0];
    BC[1] = pointC[1] - pointB[1];
    double dot = AB[0] * BC[0] + AB[1] * BC[1];

    return dot;
}

//Compute the cross product AB x AC
private double CrossProduct(double[] pointA, double[] pointB, double[] pointC)
{
    double[] AB = new double[2];
    double[] AC = new double[2];
    AB[0] = pointB[0] - pointA[0];
    AB[1] = pointB[1] - pointA[1];
    AC[0] = pointC[0] - pointA[0];
    AC[1] = pointC[1] - pointA[1];
    double cross = AB[0] * AC[1] - AB[1] * AC[0];

    return cross;
}

//Compute the distance from A to B
double Distance(double[] pointA, double[] pointB)
{
    double d1 = pointA[0] - pointB[0];
    double d2 = pointA[1] - pointB[1];

    return Math.Sqrt(d1 * d1 + d2 * d2);
}

//Compute the distance from AB to C
//if isSegment is true, AB is a segment, not a line.
double LineToPointDistance2D(double[] pointA, double[] pointB, double[] pointC, 
    bool isSegment)
{
    double dist = CrossProduct(pointA, pointB, pointC) / Distance(pointA, pointB);
    if (isSegment)
    {
        double dot1 = DotProduct(pointA, pointB, pointC);
        if (dot1 > 0) 
            return Distance(pointB, pointC);

        double dot2 = DotProduct(pointB, pointA, pointC);
        if (dot2 > 0) 
            return Distance(pointA, pointC);
    }
    return Math.Abs(dist);
} 

我不是要回答问题，而是要问问题，所以我希望我不会因为某些原因而得到数百万张反对票，而是批评。我只是想(并被鼓励)分享其他人的想法，因为这个帖子中的解决方案要么是用一些奇异的语言(Fortran, Mathematica)，要么被某人标记为错误。对我来说唯一有用的(由Grumdrig编写)是用c++编写的，没有人标记它有错误。但是它缺少被调用的方法(dot等)。

在f#中，点c到a和b之间的线段的距离为:

let pointToLineSegmentDistance (a: Vector, b: Vector) (c: Vector) =
  let d = b - a
  let s = d.Length
  let lambda = (c - a) * d / s
  let p = (lambda |> max 0.0 |> min s) * d / s
  (a + p - c).Length

向量d沿着线段从a指向b。d/s与c-a的点积给出了无限直线与点c之间最接近点的参数。使用min和max函数将该参数钳制到范围0..s，使该点位于a和b之间。最后，a+p-c的长度是c到线段上最近点的距离。

使用示例:

pointToLineSegmentDistance (Vector(0.0, 0.0), Vector(1.0, 0.0)) (Vector(-1.0, 1.0))

下面是HSQLDB的SQL实现:

CREATE FUNCTION dist_to_segment(px double, py double, vx double, vy double, wx double, wy double)
  RETURNS double
BEGIN atomic
   declare l2 double;
   declare t double;
   declare nx double;
   declare ny double;
   set l2 =(vx - wx)*(vx - wx) + (vy - wy)*(vy - wy);
   IF l2 = 0 THEN
     RETURN sqrt((vx - px)*(vx - px) + (vy - py)*(vy - py));
   ELSE
     set t = ((px - vx) * (wx - vx) + (py - vy) * (wy - vy)) / l2;
     set t = GREATEST(0, LEAST(1, t));
     set nx=vx + t * (wx - vx);
     set ny=vy + t * (wy - vy);
     RETURN sqrt((nx - px)*(nx - px) + (ny - py)*(ny - py));
   END IF;
END;

Postgres的实现:

CREATE FUNCTION dist_to_segment(px numeric, py numeric, vx numeric, vy numeric, wx numeric, wy numeric)
  RETURNS numeric
AS $$
   declare l2 numeric;
   declare t numeric;
   declare nx numeric;
   declare ny numeric;
BEGIN 
   l2 := (vx - wx)*(vx - wx) + (vy - wy)*(vy - wy);
   IF l2 = 0 THEN
     RETURN sqrt((vx - px)*(vx - px) + (vy - py)*(vy - py));
   ELSE
     t := ((px - vx) * (wx - vx) + (py - vy) * (wy - vy)) / l2;
     t := GREATEST(0, LEAST(1, t));
     nx := vx + t * (wx - vx);
     ny := vy + t * (wy - vy);
     RETURN sqrt((nx - px)*(nx - px) + (ny - py)*(ny - py));
   END IF;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

Lua: 查找线段(不是整条线)与点之间的最小距离

function solveLinearEquation(A1,B1,C1,A2,B2,C2)
--it is the implitaion of a method of solving linear equations in x and y
  local f1 = B1*C2 -B2*C1
  local f2 = A2*C1-A1*C2
  local f3 = A1*B2 -A2*B1
  return {x= f1/f3, y= f2/f3}
end


function pointLiesOnLine(x,y,x1,y1,x2,y2)
  local dx1 = x-x1
  local  dy1 = y-y1
  local dx2 = x-x2
  local  dy2 = y-y2
  local crossProduct = dy1*dx2 -dx1*dy2

if crossProduct ~= 0  then  return  false
else
  if ((x1>=x) and (x>=x2)) or ((x2>=x) and (x>=x1)) then
    if ((y1>=y) and (y>=y2)) or ((y2>=y) and (y>=y1)) then
      return true
    else return false end
  else  return false end
end
end


function dist(x1,y1,x2,y2)
  local dx = x1-x2
  local dy = y1-y2
  return math.sqrt(dx*dx + dy* dy)
 end


function findMinDistBetnPointAndLine(x1,y1,x2,y2,x3,y3)
-- finds the min  distance between (x3,y3) and line (x1,y2)--(x2,y2)
   local A2,B2,C2,A1,B1,C1
   local dx = y2-y1
   local dy = x2-x1
   if dx == 0 then A2=1 B2=0 C2=-x3 A1=0 B1=1 C1=-y1 
   elseif dy == 0 then A2=0 B2=1 C2=-y3 A1=1 B1=0 C1=-x1
   else
      local m1 = dy/dx
      local m2 = -1/m1
      A2=m2 B2=-1 C2=y3-m2*x3 A1=m1 B1=-1 C1=y1-m1*x1
   end
 local intsecPoint= solveLinearEquation(A1,B1,C1,A2,B2,C2)
if pointLiesOnLine(intsecPoint.x, intsecPoint.y,x1,y1,x2,y2) then
   return dist(intsecPoint.x, intsecPoint.y, x3,y3)
 else
   return math.min(dist(x3,y3,x1,y1),dist(x3,y3,x2,y2))
end
end