Tips for Success

Some questions ask you to find a distance using coordinate geometry. Read the sample question below. Then follow the tips to answer it.

What is the distance from the midpoint of A B ¯ eh b bar  to endpoint B?

1. 10 square root of 10

2. 5

3. 10

4. 100

Think It Through

Find AB using the Distance Formula.

A B = ( − 2 − 6 ) 2 + [ 3 − ( − 3 ) ] 2   = 100   = 10 table with 3 rows and 2 columns , row1 column 1 , eh b , column 2 equals . square root of open , negative 2 minus 6 , close squared . plus . left bracket . 3 minus . open , negative 3 , close . right bracket squared end root , row2 column 1 , , column 2 equals , square root of 100 , row3 column 1 , , column 2 equals 10 , end table

The distance from the midpoint of A B ¯ eh b bar  to endpoint B is 1 2 A B , 1 half eh b comma  or 5. The correct answer is B.