Maths 2022 AS Paper 1 Pure Help

haha, i got this nasty question on my test too. when you look at the diagram, the shortest distance connecting the edge of the circle and line l would be the normal(perpendicular line). To find that distance, you can only use the centre of the circle as a reference point, because when the normal is connected to the centre, it touches the edge of the circle, which is the shortest distance. by finding that distance and taking away the radius (which is 3 in this case), you get the shortest distance! hope this helps

thats incredibly helpful, thank you!