Shortest distance between points algorithm

Question

Given a set of points on a plane, find the shortest line segment formed by any two of these points.

How can I do that? The trivial way is obviously to calcu

Answer 1

I can't immediately think of a quicker alternative than the brute force technique (although there must be plenty) but whatever algorithm you choose don't calculate the distance between each point. If you need to compare distances just compare the squares of the distances to avoid the expensive and entirely redundant square root.