Question

What is the Pythagorean theorem and how does it relate to the distance formula?

Accepted Answer

Pythagorean theorem:   

$$c^2 = a^2 + b^2$$    
where *c* is the hypotenuse of a right triangle, and *a* and *b* are the legs of the right triangle.   
    
The *distance formula* relates two points through a right triangle, where the line connecting the two points is the hypotenuse, and the difference between the *x* and *y* values of the points represents the length of the right triangle’s legs.    
It is written as:   

$$d = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2}$$

Flashcard 9 - Next Generation Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics Flashcard Set for the ACCUPLACER Test

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