Geometry
Activity:
Distances in the Coordinate Plane
Posted on Oct 25, 2007
Topic: Points, Lines & Planes
Students will explore distances in the coordinate plane. After displaying the coordinates of a segment’s endpoints, students will substitute these values into the distance formula and compare the results to the measured length of the segment. Then students will find the distance between the endpoints using the Pythagorean Theorem.
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Activity Key Steps:
Students are to construct a segment in the first quadrant.
Direct students to show the coordinates for the endpoints of the segment using the Coordinates and Equations tool (MENU > Tools > Coordinates and Equations).
Next, students should measure the length of the segment using the Length tool (MENU > Measurement > Length).
They can now drag the endpoints and observe that the segment length changes updates accordingly.
To use the Distance Formula to calculate the distance between the endpoints, have students press MENU > Tools > Text and enter the expression square root (x2-x1)^2 + (y2-y1)^2 in a text box