Question

Find the distance between the two points rounding to the nearest tenth (if necessary).

(6,4) and (1,8)

Answer 1

d = 6.4

Explanation:

As we move from the point (6, 4) to (1, 8), we see x decreasing from 6 to 1, a change of -5, and y increasing from 4 to 8, a change of +4. It may be helpful to plot these two points and to draw a line segment connecting them. We are to find the length of this line segment, which happens to be the hypotenuse of a triangle with base 5 and height 4. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we get a formula for this distance, d:

d^2 = 5^2 + 4^2 = 25 + 16 = 41

The distance in question is d = √41, or d = 6.4 (to the nearest tenth).