Analytical Geometry (Fundamental Concepts)

PROBLEM 1:

Find the lengths of the sides of the triangle with the vertices A(-2, -3), B(6, 1), and C(-2, 5).

SOLUTION: The abscissas of A and C are the same, and therefore side AC is vertical. The length of the
vertical side is the difference of the ordinates. The other sides are slant segment, and the general
distance formula yields their lengths.

Y Hence we get
C(-2,5) |AC|=5-(-3)= 5+3=8

|AB|= (6+2)2

B(6,1)

0 X

A(-2, -3)

PROBLEM 2:
Find the centroid of the triangle with vertices at (0, 4), (4, 2) and (-3, -2).
Solution: The centroid of a triangle is located at the intersection of the three medians. We
only need to find two, but it's a good idea to find all three because the arithmetic in these
problems can get tricky and that third median will confirm whether our centroid location is
correct.