Distance formula
Concept
Find the distance between two points using the distance formula.
Rules
1. Substitute the x- and y-coordinates into the distance formula
2. Solve using order of operations.
Example
Use the distance formula to find the distance between X(-7, 5) and Y(2, -6). Round the answer to the nearest tenth.
Solution
Substitute the x- and y-coordinates into the distance formula.
Practice Distance Formula
Practice Problem 1
Use the distance formula to find the distance between X(-1,2) and Y(2, -4). Round the answer to the nearest tenth.
Practice Problem 2
Anna owns a cornfield and has placed fences around four poles, A, B, C, and D, that define the edges of the field. She needs to drive around every day to check the fences. The four poles are located at A(-4,1), B(8,-4), C(-4,-9), and D(-16,-4) if a map of the field is drawn on the coordinate plane and 1 unit represents 1 km. How many kilometers will Anna drive if she starts at pole A and drives towards pole B?
Practice Problem 3
Two lighthouses are located in the ocean. The coastguard on duty needs to calculate how far apart they are. He creates a map on the coordinate plane where each unit on the plane represents 1 kilometer. Lighthouse A is at the point (-10, 7), and lighthouse B is located at the points (7, -3). What is the distance between the lighthouses to the nearest tenth of a kilometer?
Distance is a numerical measurement of how far apart objects or points are. The distance between two points is the length of a straight line segment that links them.
Pre-requisite Skills
Pythagorean Theorem
Applications of the Pythagorean Theorem