Q.If distance between lines $(x-2y)^2 + k(x-2y) = 0$ is $3$ units, then $k =$ ______. A) $\pm\sqrt3$ B) $\pm5\sqrt5$ C) $0$ D) $\pm3\sqrt5$

If $u \equiv a_1x+b_1y+c_1$ and $v \equiv a_2x+b_2y+c_2$ are two lines, their product $uv=0$ is called the combined (or joint) equation of the pair: it is a single equation whose solution set is exactly the union of the two lines, because a product of real numbers is zero precisely when at least one factor is zero. Building a combined equation from two known lines is just multiplication and expansion, as in $(x+y-2)(2x-y+2)=0$ expanding to $2x^2+xy-y^2-2x+4y-4=0$. Going the other way -- splitting a combined equation back into its separate lines -- means factoring the second-degree expression into two linear factors, e.g. $x^2-y^2+x+y=(x+y)(x-y+1)=0$ gives the lin …