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Unit-1
Chapter 4
Rectangular Coordinates,
Distance Formula, Section Formula and Equation of Straight Line

4.1 Rectangular Coordinates

The coordinates of a point P referred to the perpendicular axes are the ordered pair
(a, b) where
a (the x-coordinate) = the distance of P from the y-axis; and
b (the y-coordinate) = the distance of P from the x-axis.

y-axis

a P(a,b)

O
x-axis

Example 1: Plot the points A(1,2), B(4,6) and C(4,2); hence find the distances between: a)
A and C;
b) B and C;
c) A and B.

y-axis

B(4,6)

C(4,2)
A(1,2)

O
x-axis

Soln:

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From the figure,

a) AC = 4 – 1 = 3
b) BC = 6 – 2 = 4
c) By Pythagoras theorem, AB = AC 2  BC 2
= 32  4 2
= _____ units

4.2 Distance formula

Now let us generalize Examples 1 and 2 by finding the distance between the points
A(x1,y1) and B(x2,y2).

y-axis

A C

O
x-axis

From the figure, C = (x2,y1)

AC = x2 – x1
BC = y2 – y1
By Pythagoras theorem, AB = AC 2  BC 2
= (x 2 - x 1 ) 2  ( y 2 - y1 ) 2

Example 2: Find the distances between the pairs of points:

a) (3,4) and (15,9);
b) (5,1) and (-3,-4);

Soln: a) 12 2  5 2  _____ units

b) ________________________________units

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4.3 Section formula

A point P on the joining of AB is said to divide AB in the ratio r1 : r2 if

AP : PB = r1 : r2. In the figure below, if P divides AB in the ratio r1 : r2

y-axis

B(x2,y2)
r2
P
N
r1

A M C
(x1,y1)

O
x-axis

AP AM MP r1
then   
PB PN NB r2
x  x1 r1
i.e. 
x 2  x r2
rx r x
hence x 1 2 2 1
r1  r2
r y r y
Similarly, y 1 2 2 1
r1  r2

Hence, the section formula concludes that:

The coordinates of the point P which divides the joining of A(x1,y1) and B(x2,y2) is
rx r x r y r y
x  1 2 2 1 and y  1 2 2 1
r1  r2 r1  r2

Example 3: Write down the mid-points of the lines joining:

a) (1,1) and (5,4);
b) (6,1) and (-8,3);

Soln: a) (3, 5/2)

b) (-1, 2)

Example 4: Given A = (4,16) and B = (11,-5), find H if H divides AB internally in the ratio
1:6

Soln: (5, 13)

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4.5 Inclination and slope of a line

y-axis
L2

a2 a1 x-axis
O
L1

The inclination of a line is the angle made between the line and the positive x-axis.

The slope of a line is defined as the tangent of the inclination of the line.
i.e. m = tan 

Example 5: Find the slopes of the lines with inclinations:

a)  = 30o;
b)  = 45o;
c)  = 135o.
What conclusion can you make if the two lines are perpendicular?

Soln: (a) m = tan30o = _____________

(b) m = tan45o =____________
(c) m = tan135o = ____________
from (b) and (c), m1 m2 = -1 and these two lines are perpendicular.
In general,
(i) if L1 // L2 then m1 = m2 ;
(ii) if L1  L2 then m1 m2 = -1 .

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4.5.1 Slope of the line passing through two points

y-axis

A a
M

a
O
x-axis

From the above figure, slope of the line passing through the points A and B is
m = tan 
BM
=
AM
y  y1
m = 2
x 2  x1
Example 6: Find the slopes of the lines passing through:
a) (5,2) and (-2,2);
b) (5,1) and (-3,-4);
c) (1,2) and (-1,4);
d) (4,7) and (4,1).

Soln: a) 0
b) 5/8
c) –1
d) undefined.
Example 7 A and B are the points (-4, 1) and (8, 6) respectively.
(a) Find the slope of AB.
(b) Find the length of AB.
(c) Write down the coordinates of the mid-point of AB.
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Soln: (a) slope m =  ___________
8  (4)

(b) length of AB = (8  (4)) 2  (6  1) 2

= _____________________ units
 4  8 1 6
(c) coordinates of mid-point = ( , )  __________
2 2
Summery:
 Locate a point in a plane using rectangular coordinate system

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 Calculate the distance between 2 points

 Determine the point of division of a line segment

 Determine the slope of a line

 State the condition for 2 lines to be parallel or perpendicular

 Understand that the equation of a straight line is of the first degree
 Determines the equation of a straight line
 Determines the slope and intercepts of a straight line
 Sketch a line when its equation is given

4.6 Supplementary Problems

1) Find the length of the line joining the following pairs of points:

a. (1, 2), (4, 6)

b. (3, 1), (2, 0)

c. (4, 2), (2, 5)

d. (-1, 4), (2, 6)

e. (0, 0), (-1, -2)

f. (-1, -4), (-3, -2)

2) Find the coordinates of the midpoints of the lines joining the pairs of points given in
1.

3) Find the length of the line from the origin to the point (7, 4).

4) Show, using Pythagoras’ Theorem, that the lines joining A(1, 6), B(-1, 4) and C(2, 1)
from the right angled triangle.

5) Show that ABC is isosceles where A, B, and C are the points (7, 3), (- 4, 1), (-3, -2).

6) Find the midpoint of the base of ABC in No. 5. Hence find the area of ABC .

7) Prove that the lines OA and OB are perpendicular where A, B are the points (4, 3) and
(3, -4) respectively.

8) In the triangle ABC, A, B, and C are points (0, 2), (1, 5) and (-1, 4). Find the
coordinates of the point D such that AD is a median and find the length of this
median.

9) A, B and M are three points such that M is the midpoint of AB. The coordinates of A
and M are (5, 7) and (0, 2) respectively. Find the coordinates of B.
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