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Media4Math  Finding the Distance Between Two Points

Distance Formula

In this example, the distance between two points in Quadrant I is calculated using the distance formula.

Review of the distance formula:

The distance formula is used in coordinate geometry to calculate the distance between two points, given their coordinates. The coordinates are used to define the horizontal and vertical distances separating the two points.

The distance formula relies on the Pythagorean theorem. Since the coordinates of the two points provide the horizontal and vertical distances between the two points, the line connecting the two points becomes the third side of a right triangle.

The distance formula is used to calculate the length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed from the horizontal and vertical distances separating the two points. Although the distance formula is usually written as a square root, it is based on the use of the Pythagorean theorem.

In these Math Tutorials on the distance formula, the distances between two points are calculated. The situations vary depending on which quadrant one or both the points are located in. We also use the distance formula for situations when one or both of the points are located on the x- and y-axes.

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