Lesson 6: Determine Distance on the Coordinate Plane6.NOS.9

I can…

I can find the distance between two points on the coordinate plane using absolute value.

Key words

• Distance on the Coordinate Plane — How far apart two points are on a grid.
• Distance — How far apart two points are. It is never negative.
• Absolute value — How far a number is from zero.
• Horizontal distance — How far apart two points are, left to right.
• Vertical distance — How far apart two points are, up or down.
• Coordinate plane — A flat grid for placing points with two numbers.
• Integer — A whole number or its opposite, like 2 and −2.
• Quadrant — One of the four parts of a coordinate grid.

Steps

1. I will find the distance from (-3, 2) to (4, 2). Both have y = 2, so they sit on the same horizontal line.
2. The points are on opposite sides of zero, so I add the absolute values.
3. |-3| = 3 and |4| = 4.
4. I add: 3 + 4 = 7. The distance between them is 7 units.

Try it

What is the distance between the points (2, -6) and (2, 3)?

Check your answer

9 units

Both points share x = 2, so this is a vertical distance. |3 - (-6)| = |3 + 6| = 9 units.

Sentence starter

I know ___ because ___.

Goal: I can explain my work using the words distance, absolute value, horizontal distance, and vertical distance.