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Find the distance between the two points in simplest radical form.

Find the distance between the two points in simplest radical form.-example-1
User DrGecko
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1 Answer

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Answer:

13 units

Explanation:

A right triangle can be drawn using the grid lines for legs and the line segment between the two points as the hypotenuse. You can count grid squares or subtract coordinates to find the vertical leg is 12 units and the horizontal leg is 5 units. The Pythagorean theorem tells you the length of the hypotenuse (distance between the points) is ...

d² = 12² +5² = 144 +25 = 169

d = √169 = 13

The distance between the two points is 13 units.

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Additional comment

This set of dimensions, {5, 12, 13}, is one of several "Pythagorean triples" that often show up in math problems. Other common triples are {3, 4, 5}, {7, 24, 25}, {8, 15, 17}, {9, 40, 41}, and multiples of these.

User Randmin
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