Distance between two points
You can use Pythagoras on a coordinate grid. The horizontal and vertical gaps between two points make the short sides of a right-angled triangle.
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Analogy
Like finding the shortcut across a park rather than walking round two edges.
Example
Across = 3, up = 43^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25Distance = sqrt(25) = 5
In practice
Satnavs calculate straight-line distances like this between two map positions.
Practice
Flashcards
- What is the distance from (1, 2) to (4, 6)?5. The gaps are 3 and 4, so 9 + 16 = 25.
Questions people ask
How do you find the distance between two points?
Subtract the x values to get the horizontal gap and subtract the y values for the vertical gap. Square both gaps, add them, then take the square root. For (1, 2) and (4, 6), the gaps are 3 and 4, so the distance is 5.
Does it matter which point you subtract first?
No. Because you square the gaps, a negative result becomes positive anyway. The gap from (1, 2) to (4, 6) is 3 across, and from (4, 6) back to (1, 2) is -3. Both give 9 when squared. Just keep the same order for the x values and the y values to stay consistent.