Connecting two curves closest points

Hi:

Given two closed curves of different shapes, vertically displaced from each other (like contour lines on a terrain map) how would I drop lines from points on one curve to the closest points on the other?

The first line may be divided into some arbitrary number of points. Obviously if we divide the second curve into the same number of points and then span with polylines the end points will not necessarily be the optimal closest points.

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Permalink Reply by Al Krever on June 16, 2011 at 2:45pm

Thanks: I appreciate you giving it a try and I appreciate the kindness. I'll get back to you with some images of early attempts. It's not really a closest point problem. In the case of the farthest left point it should connect to the farthest left point on it's corresponding curve. In the case of the lower left corner it should connect to it's corresponding corner (which in this case is the closest). that's why I figured to try perpendiculars tangent to upper curve and connecting to the lower. It works by hand...sort of.

all the best