Distance Between Two Points

Summary

This math recipe will help you find the distance between two points, whose coordinates are known.

Distance Between Points

Skill Level

Easy

Time

Approx. 2 min

Ingredients

Coordinates of the two points: \(A(x_1, y_1)\) and \(B(x_2, y_2)\)

Method

To find the distance between \(A\) and \(B\), we’ll simply plug their coordinates into the formula below:

\(AB=\sqrt{(x_1-x_2 )^2+(y_1-y_2)^2}\)

This formula is known as the Distance Formula.

Examples

Example 1 Find the distance between \(P(4, 2)\) and \(Q(1,6)\).

Solution The figure shows the points \(P\) and \(Q\) on the plane.

https://doubleroot.in/recipes/coordinate-geometry/distance between two points

Let’s use the distance formula straight away.

\(PQ=\sqrt{(4-1)^2+(2-6)^2}\)
\(=\sqrt{3^2+(-4)^2}\)
\(=\sqrt{9+16}\)
\(=\sqrt{25}\)
\(= 5\ units\)

Example 2 Find the distance between the points \(A(-1, 5)\) and \(B(4,-7)\).

Solution The figure shows the points \(A\) and \(B\) on the plane.

https://doubleroot.in/recipes/coordinate-geometry/distance between two points

Again, we’ll use the distance formula directly.

\(AB=\sqrt{(-1-4)^2+(5-(-7))^2}\)
\(=\sqrt{(-5)^2+12^2}\)
\(=\sqrt{25+144}\)
\(=\sqrt{169}\)
\(= 13\ units\)

That’s it for this recipe. Hope you found it helpful.

For more recipes, please visit www.doubleroot.in/recipes.

You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook to get all updates.

Scroll to Top