Question

Find the approximate distance between the points A (2,-1) and B(-4,5)

Answer 1

d ≈ 8.5 units

Explanation:

calculate the distance using the distance formula

d =
`\sqrt{(x_(2)-x_(1))^2+(y_(2)-y_(1))^2 }`

with (x₁, y₁ ) = A (2, - 1 ) and (x₂, y₂ ) = B (- 4, 5 )

d =
`√((-4-2)^2+(5-(-1))^2)`

=
`√((-6)^2+(5+1)^2)`

=
`√(36+6^2)`

=
`√(36+36)`

=
`√(72)`

≈ 8.5 units ( to 1 decimal place )