Homework Help: Algebra

Posted by Lyn on Monday, June 20, 2011 at 10:54pm.

Find the possible values of a, if the distance between the points is 5, and the coordinates are (1,1) and (4,a)

I'm not quite sure how to do this one.. I've tried the distance and midpoint formula, but I'm confused.

I don't what to do with the (a-1)^2 part.

5= (4-0)^2 + (a-1)^2

5= 16 + (a-1)^2

Any help or can give me a site with detailed examples would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

Algebra - Reiny, Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:44pm
The formula for distance between two point is
d = √( (y2-y1)^2 + (x2-x1)^2

so

5 = √((a-1)^2 ++ (4-1)^2 )
square both sides
25 = (a-1)^2 = 9
16 = (a-1)^2
take √ of both sides
4 = ą (a-1)
a-1 = ą4
a = 5 or a= -3
Algebra - Lyn, Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:35pm
Thank you Reiny!

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