Calculating the length of a line segment
I can calculate the length of a line segment on a coordinate grid in all four quadrants or using the coordinate pairs.
Calculating the length of a line segment
I can calculate the length of a line segment on a coordinate grid in all four quadrants or using the coordinate pairs.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Any line segment can be turned into a right-angled triangle by adding two lines which meet at 90°
- Calculating the horizontal distance gives the length of one side
- Calculating the vertical distance gives the length of the other side
- These two shorter sides lengths can be used to calculate the length of the line segment
- This can be done using Pythagoras' theorem
Keywords
Hypotenuse - The hypotenuse is the side of a right-angled triangle which is opposite the right angle.
Pythagoras' theorem - Pythagoras’ theorem states that the sum of the squares of the two shorter sides of a right-angled triangle is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that direction matters when determining the distance between two points.
Direction matters when dealing with displacement, not distance.
To help you plan your year 10 maths lesson on: Calculating the length of a line segment, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 maths lesson on: Calculating the length of a line segment, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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