31
COORDINATE GEOMETRY
CONTENTS
Coordinate Geometry 287
Distance Between Two Points 287
Mid-Point of a Line Segment 287
The Gradient/Equation of a Straight Line 288
Parallel Lines 289
Perpendicular Lines 290
COORDINATE GEOMETRY
Coordinate geometry, also known as analytic geometry, is a branch of
geometry where points in the (x, y) plane are defined with the aid of an ordered
pair of numbers known as coordinates. Coordinate geometry was developed by
the French mathematician René Descartes (1596 – 1650).
DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS
The distance between two points
A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2) is
𝒅 = √(𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙𝟏 )𝟐 + (𝒚𝟐 − 𝒚𝟏 )𝟐
EXAMPLE 31.1
Find the distance between the points
a) A(-3, –2) and B(6, 8)? b) D(0, 1) and C(-1, 11)?
S O L U T I O N tips
a) 𝑥1 = −3, 𝑥2 = 6, 𝑦1 = −2, 𝑦2 = 8
𝑑 = √(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2 = √(6 − (−3))2 + (8 − (−2))2
= √92 + 102 = √181 = 13.45
b) 𝑥1 = 0, 𝑥2 = −1, 𝑦1 = 1, 𝑦2 = 11
𝑑 = √(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2 = √(−1 − (0))2 + (11 − (1))2
= √(−1)2 + 102 = √101 = 10.05
M I D -P O I N T O F A L I N E S E G M E N T
The coordinates of the mid-point M of
the line segment joining A(x1, y1) and
B(x2, y2) are
𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙𝟏 𝒚𝟐 + 𝒚𝟏
(𝒙𝒎 , 𝒚𝒎 ) = ( , )
𝟐 𝟐
288 Olaniyi Evans | University Mathematics
EXAMPLE 31.2
Find the mid-point of the line segment joining the points A(3, 4) and B(-1, 6).
S O L U T I O N tips
The midpoint is
𝑥2 + 𝑥1 𝑦2 + 𝑦1 3 + (−1) 4 + 6 2 10
( , )=( , ) = ( , ) = (1, 5)
2 2 2 2 2 2
The midpoint is (1, 5).
EXAMPLE 31.3
The mid-point M of the line segment joining the point (–2, 5) to the point P is (2,
–1). Find the coordinates of the point M.
S O L U T I O N tips
Let the coordinates of the points M be (𝑥𝑚 , 𝑦𝑚 ). We can then write
𝑥𝑚 − 2 𝑦𝑚 + 5
( , ) = (2, −1)
2 2
Equate the x-coordinates
𝑥𝑚 − 2
=2 → 𝑥𝑚 = 6
2
Equate the y-coordinates
𝑦𝑚 + 5
= −1 → 𝑦𝑚 = −7
2
The coordinates of the point M are (6, –7).
WORKOUT 31.1
1. Find the distance between the points
a) A(5, –3) and B(2, -3) b) A(5/2, 3) and B(0, 7/2)
2. Find the mid-point of the line segment joining the points
a) (6, –6) and (3, 4) b) (7, 1) and (-1, -1)
3. The mid-point P of the line segment joining the point (0, -1) to the point P is
(3, 1). Find the coordinates of the point P.
ANSWERS RAPID
1. a) 3 b) √(13/2) 2. a) (9/2, -1) b) (3, 0) 3. (6, 3)
T H E G R A D I E N T /E Q U A T I O N O F A S T R A I G H T L IN E
The equation of a straight The gradient of a straight line is a measure of
line is its slope. Given any two points A(x1, y1) and
B(x2, y2) on a line, the gradient of the line is
𝒚 = 𝒎𝒙 + 𝒄
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝒚 𝒚𝟐 − 𝒚𝟏
𝒎= =
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝒙 𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙𝟏
m is the gradient of the line. c is
where the line cuts the y-axis. c is
called the y-intercept and it has the
coordinates (0, c).
For example, the line 𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 1
has a gradient of 3 and crosses the y-
axis at the point (0, 1).
Chapter 31| Coordinate Geometry 289
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