Derive the distance formula for any two points on the coordinate plane by applying the Pythagorean Theorem.
[i]Answer these open ended questions on your own or with others to form deeper math connections.[/i]
Can we use the method above to find the distance between two points that are vertical to one another? Is this the easiest method?
Can [math]x_1-x_2[/math] be used for the horizontal distance? Why or why not?
In the last step of the calculations, [math]d[/math] is a positive square root. Why is the negative square root not included as a value for [math]d[/math]?