Question

In the coordinate plane shown, how far apart are points B and D? Explain how you can use the Pythagorean theorem to determine this.

Answer 1

10.3 units

Explanation:

From the given graph, we can see the coordinates of the points B (-2, 4) and D (3, -5).

To use the Pythagorean Theorem, we must have a right angled triangle. So we can select a point X (3, 4) to calculate the distance between B and D using the Pythagoras Theorem.

BX = 5, XD = 9

BD =
`√(BX^2+XD^2)`

BD =
`√((5)^2+(9)^2) =√(106) =10.29`

Therefore, the points B and D are 10.3 units apart.