8.2. Applications of the Pythagorean Theorem http://www.ck12.org
If you are given the base and the sides of an isosceles triangle, you can use the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate
the height.
Prove the Distance Formula
Another application of the Pythagorean Theorem is the Distance Formula.
First, draw the vertical and horizontal lengths to make a right triangle. Then, use the differences to find these
distances.
Now that we have a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem to findd.
Distance Formula:The distanceA(x 1 ,y 1 )andB(x 2 ,y 2 )isd=
√
(x 1 −x 2 )^2 +(y 1 −y 2 )^2.