What is the distance between (0,0) and (-15,36)?

1 Answer
May 13, 2016

39

Explanation:

From Pythagoras theorem, we get the following formula for the distance between points (x_1, y_1) and (x_2, y_2) in the plane:

d = sqrt((x_2-x_1)^2+(y_2-y_1)^2)

In our example, (x_1, y_1) = (0, 0) and (x_2, y_2) = (-15, 36), giving us:

d = sqrt((-15-0)^2+(36-0)^2)

= sqrt((-15)^2+36^2)

= sqrt(225+1296)

= sqrt(1521)=39