Find the distance between two coordinate points. Shows the horizontal Δx and vertical Δy components that form the legs of a right triangle.
d = √((x₂−x₁)² + (y₂−y₁)²)
The distance formula is derived directly from the Pythagorean theorem. The horizontal separation Δx and vertical separation Δy form the two legs of a right triangle, and d is the hypotenuse.
Δx = x₂ − x₁ (horizontal leg)
Δy = y₂ − y₁ (vertical leg)
d = √(Δx² + Δy²)
The order of subtraction doesn't affect the result because the values are squared.
A tutor can walk you through the distance formula and its connection to the Pythagorean theorem.