Explain the distance formula. Then use it to calculate the distance between A(1,1)

and B(7,−7)
.

1 answer

The distance formula is a mathematical formula used to calculate the distance between two points in a coordinate plane. It is derived from the Pythagorean theorem and is commonly expressed as:

d = sqrt((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2)

Where:
- d represents the distance between the two points,
- x1 and y1 are the coordinates of the first point,
- x2 and y2 are the coordinates of the second point,
- sqrt represents the square root function.

Now, to calculate the distance between A(1,1) and B(7,-7), we can plug in the values into the distance formula:

d = sqrt((7 - 1)^2 + (-7 - 1)^2)
= sqrt(6^2 + (-8)^2)
= sqrt(36 + 64)
= sqrt(100)
= 10

Therefore, the distance between A(1,1) and B(7,-7) is 10 units.