Distance on the Coordinate Plane
Learning Objective
I can apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between two points on a coordinate plane.
Key Concepts
The distance between two points can be found by drawing a right triangle and using the Pythagorean theorem.
The general distance formula is d = √ (x₂ - x₁)² + (y₂ - y₁)² , where d is the distance between the points (x₁, y₁) and (x₂, y₂).
When using the distance formula, be careful to correctly substitute the values and remember that subtracting a negative number is the same as adding a positive number.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 10 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. What is the first step in finding the distance between two points on a coordinate plane using the Pythagorean Theorem?
2. How do you find the horizontal distance between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) on a coordinate plane?
3. How do you find the vertical distance between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) on a coordinate plane?
...and 7 more questions
Educational Video
Distance Formula: A Step-by-Step Guide
IXL