CM9 10 5.3_5.

2 Final 12/8/04 11:49 AM Page 331

Coordinate
geometry
Syllabus outcomes
PAS5.1.2 Determines the midpoint, length and gradient of an interval joining two points
on the number plane and graphs linear and simple non-linear relationships from equations
PAS5.2.3 Uses formulas to find midpoint, distance and gradient and applies the
gradient–intercept form to interpret and graph straight lines
WMS5.3.1 Asks questions that could be explored using mathematics in relation to
Stage 5.3 content
WMS5.3.3 Uses and interprets formal definitions and generalisations when explaining
solutions and/or conjectures
WMS5.3.5 Links mathematical ideas and makes connections with, and generalisations
about, existing knowledge and understanding in relation to Stage 5.3 content

In this chapter you will learn to:

ngraph two points to form an interval on the number plane and form a right-angled
triangle by drawing a vertical side from the higher point and a horizontal side from the
lower point
nuse the right-angled triangle drawn from two points on the number plane and Pythagoras’
theorem to determine the length of the interval joining the two points
nuse the distance formula to determine the length of an interval joining two points
ndetermine the midpoint of an interval from a diagram and from using the
midpoint formula
nuse the right-angled triangle rdrawn
ise
from two points on the number plane and
the relationship gradient
 run to find the gradient of the interval joining two points
ndetermine whether a line has a positive (upwards) or negative (downwards) slope by
following the line from left to right
nuse the gradient formula to find the gradient of an interval joining two points
nuse m
tan θ to find the gradient of a line when given θ (its angle of inclination with the
positive direction of the x-axis) and to find θ when given the gradient
nrecognise equations of the form y
mx  b as representing straight lines and interpret
the x-coefficient (m) as the gradient and the constant (b) as the y-intercept
nwrite linear equations in gradient–intercept form and general form
ndetermine the gradient and y-intercept of a line from its equation
nrecognise that parallel lines have the same gradient, and use this to test for parallel lines
CM9 10 5.3_5.2 Final 12/8/04 11:49 AM Page 332

The distance between two points

The French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes invented a method of locating
points on a flat surface or number plane. Sometimes it is necessary to find the distances
between such points.

Examples
Plot each pair of points and find the distance between them: Count the number of
units between the two
●
1 A(2, 3) and B(4, 3) Q y
4
points if they are on
the same horizontal or
●
2 P(3, 1) and Q(3, 4)
2
A B
vertical line.

●
3 L(2, 4) and M(3, 4)
P
–4 –2 0 2 4 x
●
1 Distance AB
2 units
–2
●
2 Distance PQ
3 units
–4
●
3 Distance LM
5 units L M

As shown above, to find the distance between two points that lie on the same horizontal or
vertical line, simply count the number of units between them. However, when the two points do
not lie on the same horizontal or vertical line, one of the following two methods can be used:
1 Plot the points on the number plane and use Pythagoras’ theorem.
2 Use the distance formula.

Example Pythagoras’
Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the distance between theorem
the two points A(2, 1) and B(1, 3). y
can only be applied
to right-angled
4
Using Pythagoras’ theorem: B(1, 3) triangles.
2 2 2
d
3 4 2
2
d
9  16 d 4
2
d
25 –4 –2 0 2 4 x
d

25
 A(–2, –1) 3 C
d
5 The distance AB is 5 units.

E x e r c i s e 10A T H E D I S TA N C E B E T W E E N T W O P O I N T S

■
1 Plot each pair of points and find the distance between them:
a A(1, 3) and B(5, 3) b C(2, 1) and D(2, 6) c E(3, 7) and F(3, 2)
d G(1, 2) and H(5, 2) e I(3, 2) and J(7, 2) f K(5, 0) and L(2, 0)
g M(0, 0) and N(0, 7) h Q(3, 1) and R(2, 1)

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■
2 Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the distance AB in each diagram. Leave your answers
in surd (square root) form where necessary.
a y b y B (6, 6) c y
B (2, 4)
4 6 4
A(4, 3)

2 4 2

B(–5, 1)
2
–4 –2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x
A(1, 1) A (–2, –1)
–2 –2
–2 0 2 4 6 x
–4 –2 –4

d y B (6, 4)
e y f y
4 4 4
A (–4, 3)

2 2 2
A (–4, 1)
A(0, 0) B (3, 1)
–2 0 2 4 6 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x
–2 –2 –2

B(3, –3)
–4 –4 –4

g y h y i A(–1, 6) y
4 4 6
A(2, 3)

2 2 4
A(1, 1)

2
–4 –2 0 2 4 x –2 0 2 4 6 x B (2, 2)
B (–4, –1)
–2 –2
–4 –2 0 2 4 x
B (6, –3)
–4 –4 –2

■
3 Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the length of each interval. Leave your answers in
surd form where necessary.
a y (1, 4) b y c y
4 4 4
(4, 3)
(2, 2)
2 2 2
(–3, 1)
(5, 1)
–2 0 2 4 6 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x
–2 –2 –2

(–3, –3)
–4 –4 –4

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d y e (–4, 2) y f y
4 2 (–4, 5) 4

(3, 2) (5, 3)
2 2
–4 –2 0 2 4 x
–2
–4 –2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x
–2 –4 (3, –5) –2

–4 –6 –4
(–3, –4)

g y h (–4, 4) y i y
4 4 4 (1, 4)
(–5, 3)
(3, 2)
2 2 2
(3, 2)

–4 –2 0 2 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x
–2 –2 –2

–4 –4 (–4, –3) –4

■
4 Find the distance between each pair of points. Leave your answers in surd form.
a A(0, 2) and B(5, 3) b A(3, 6) and B(1, 2) c A(2, 5) and B(2, 1)
d A(2, 4) and B(3, 2) e A(1, 4) and B(3, 5) f A(2, 2) and B(3, 6)
g A(3, 4) and B(3, 5) h A(2, 5) and B(2, 3) i A(0, 5) and B(5, 1)
j A(4, 3) and B(1, 2) k A(5, 2) and B(3, 7) l A(3, 6) and B(2, 5)

■
5 Find the distance between each pair of points. Give your answers correct to
1 decimal place.
a P(2, 1) and Q(3, 4) b P(1, 5) and Q(3, 1) c P(2, 3) and Q(1, 2)
d P(3, 1) and Q(2, 6) e P(2, 4) and Q(1, 6) f P(3, 2) and Q(2, 5)
g P(2, 3) and Q(1, 4) h P(3, 5) and Q(2, 4) i P(1, 6) and Q(3, 3)
j P(1, 5) and Q(2, 7) k P(0, 6) and Q(5, 1) l P(3, 4) and Q(5, 6)

■
6 The points A(3, 3), B(3, 6), C(7, 6) and D(7, 3) are the vertices of a rectangle. Find:
a the lengths of AB, BC, CD and DA
b the lengths of AC and BD

■
7 (4, 2) is the centre of a circle. (5, 10) is a point on its circumference.
a What is the radius of the circle?
b Which of these points lie on the circle?
A(3, 5) B(8, 7) C(0, 6)

■
8 Which of these points is the closest to the origin?
P(5, 3) Q(4, 4) R(6, 2) S(7, 1)

■
9 A triangle has vertices H(4, 1), I(4, 3) and J(3, 5).
a Calculate the perimeter of the triangle. (Leave your answer in exact form.)
b Is the triangle scalene, isosceles or equilateral?

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■
10 The end points of the diameter of a circle are K(4, 6) and L(10, 2). What is the radius
of the circle?

■
11 A quadrilateral has vertices T(1, 2), U(2, 1), V(3, 2) and W(0, 1). Show that this
quadrilateral is a rhombus.

■
12 A(1, 1), B(3, 2) and C(1, 2) are three vertices of y
4
parallelogram ABCD.
a What are the coordinates of D ? C
2
b Show that CD
BA and CB
DA. d
c Is this parallelogram a rhombus? 0
–4 –2 2 4 x
A
B –2

The distance formula

The formula to find the distance between two points A(x1, y1) y
and B(x2, y2) can be derived using Pythagoras’ theorem. x2 B (x2, y 2)
N
Let d be the distance between the two points A(x1, y1) and
B(x2, y2). d y2
y1

Draw AM and BL perpendicular to the x-axis and draw KC x1

K C
and NB perpendicular to BL. A x2
x1
(x1, y 1) y 1
Since OM
x1 and OL
x2 :
O M L x
AC
OL  OM

x2  x1
Similarly:
BC
BL  CL CD-ROM

y2  y1
Using Pythagoras’ theorem:
2 2 2
AB
AC  BC
2 2 2
d
(x2  x1)  (y2  y1)

d


(x2  
x1) 
(y2 
2 2
y1)

The distance d units between the points A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2) is given by
the formula:
d


(x2  
x1)  (y2 
2 2
y1)

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Examples
●
1 Find the distance between the points A(4, 9) and B(5, 3). Leave your answer
in surd form. CD-ROM

A(4, 9) B(5, 3) It does not matter which

˝˝ ˝˝ point you make your first point
x1 y1 x2 y2 and which your second.

d

(x
  1)  
(y2  
2 2
2  x y1)


(5
  4 )
 ( 3
 9) 
2 2

(1)
 
2 2
(6)


1
 36


37
 The distance will still
be the same.
The distance AB is
37
 units.

●
2 Find the distance between the points A(5, 6) and B(2, 1) correct to
2 decimal places.
A (5, 6) B(2, 1)
˝˝ ˝ ˝
x1 y1 x2 y2

d

(x
  1)  
(y2  
2 2
2  x y1)


[2
 
(5)]
 (
1  6)
2 2

(2
 
5)  
2 2
(7)


(3)
 
2 2
(7)


9
 49


58


7.615 773 106 (from the calculator)
The distance AB is 7.62 units correct to 2 decimal places.

E x e r c i s e 10B T H E D I S TA N C E F O R M U L A

■ Use the distance formula d

 (x2  

x1) (y2 
2 2
1 y1) to find the distance between
each pair of points. Leave your answers in surd form if necessary.
a A(2, 9) and B(8, 6) b A(1, 3) and B(6, 4) c A(2, 3) and B(5, 2)
d A(1, 5) and B(2, 4) e A(1, 7) and B(3, 10) f A(2, 6) and B(3, 9)
g A(1, 1) and B(2, 5) h A(2, 1) and B(3, 4) i A(2, 7) and B(3, 9)
j A(1, 3) and B(2, 4) k A(2, 1) and B(3, 4) l A(1, 7) and B(3, 1)

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■
2 Calculate the distance between each pair of points. Leave your answers in surd form
if necessary.
a A(2, 1) and B(5, 5) b A(3, 7) and B(9, 15) c A(2, 5) and B(4, 7)
d A(2, 3) and B(2, 5) e A(3, 4) and B(6, 8) f A(6, 3) and B(8, 7)
g A(2, 5) and B(7, 9) h A(3, 2) and B(6, 5) i A(2, 5) and B(3, 8)

■
3 Calculate the distance between each pair of points correct to 2 decimal places:
a A(3, 4) and B(5, 8) b A(2, 6) and B(4, 10) c A(3, 7) and B(1, 9)
d A(3, 8) and B(4, 7) e A(5, 3) and B(4, 8) f A(4, 4) and B(1, 1)
g A(6, 4) and B(5, 4) h A(0, 5) and B(1, 2) i A(1, 3) and B(3, 4)

■
4 Calculate the length of each side of ABC and use Pythagoras’ theorem to determine
whether it is a right-angled triangle:
a A(0, 0), B(5, 0), C(5, 12) b A(1, 6), B(3, 2), C(4, 3)

■5 Find the distance between the points A(1, 3) and B(3, 8) and then square it.

■6 Find the perimeter of the triangle whose vertices are A(4, 0), B(7, 4) and C (1, 2).

■7 Find the exact distance between the origin and the point (2, 5).
Exact distance
■8 Which of the points A(3, 3) or B(6, 2) is closer to the point C(2, 2)? means in surd form or
as a rational number.
■9 Find the exact distance between the points A(3, 8) and B(2, 5).

■
10 Which of the points P(4, 2) and Q(1, 3) is closer to C(0, 0)?

■
11 A point P(7, 8) is on the circumference of a circle with centre C(4, 4).
Find the radius of the circle.

■
12 A(0, 0), B(4, 0) and C(4, 3) are the vertices of a triangle.
a Find the length of: i AB ii BC iii AC
b What type of triangle is it?

■
13 P(1, 1), Q(6, 1), R(8, 6) and S(3, 6) are the vertices of a parallelogram. Use the distance
formula to show that its opposite sides are equal.

■
14 The points A(3, 4), B(2, 7) and C(7, 10) are collinear.
a Find the distance AB. b Find the distance BC.
c Is AB
BC ? d Is B the midpoint of AC ? Explain why.

■
15 a For each diagram, find the distance AC.
b For each diagram, find the distance BD.
c For each diagram, does AC
BD?
d Which properties of the plane shapes do these answers reflect?
i A(2, 6) B(6, 6) ii A(1, 7) B(8, 7)

D(2, 2) C(6, 2) D(1, 3) C(8, 3)

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The midpoint of an interval B

The point that is halfway along an interval is called its midpoint.
M
M is the midpoint of the interval AB; it is halfway between A and B.
∴ AM
MB A

The coordinates of the midpoint M of a given interval AB can y B(x2, y 2)

be found as follows:
M(x, y)
Let the end points of the interval be A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2). x2
x T
A(x1, y 1)
Let the coordinates of the midpoint M be (x, y).
x
x1 S
Draw AP, MQ and BR perpendicular to the x-axis. Also draw
AS perpendicular to MQ and MT perpendicular to BR.
0 P Q R x
Now triangles ASM and MTB are congruent. So:
AS
MT and MS
BT
x  x1
x2  x y  y1
y2  y
x  x
x1  x2 y  y
y1  y2
2x
x1  x2 2y
y1  y2
x1  x2 y1  y2
x
 y

2 2

The midpoint (x, y) of an interval AB with A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2) is given by:
CD-ROM
x1  x2 y1  y2
x
 and y

2 2

Examples
●
1 Find the midpoint of the interval AB with the points A(4, 10) and B(6, 16).
A(4, 10) B(6, 16) y B(6, 16)
16
˝˝ ˝˝
x1 y1 x2 y2 M(x, y)
12
The midpoint is given by the formulas:
A(4, 10)
8
x1  x2 y1  y2
x
  y

2 2 4
46 10  16



2 2 0
–8 –4 4 8 x
10 26



2 2

5
13
The coordinates of the midpoint are (5, 13).

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●
2 If M(2, 4) is the midpoint of A(0, 2) and B(a, b), what are the values of a and b?
Substitute the values in the midpoint formulas: y
x1  x2 y1  y2 B(a, b)
x
 y
 6
2 2
0a 2b 4
2
 4
 M(2, 4)
2 2
4
0a 8
2b 2
A(0, 2)
4
a 82
b
6
b –2 0 2 4 x

The coordinates of B are (4, 6); that is, a
4 and b
6.

E x e r c i s e 10C T H E M I D P O I N T O F A N I N T E R VA L

■
1 Find the coordinates of the midpoint of each interval:
a y b y c y
4 4 4
A(–3, 3) B(3, 3)
M M B(3, 2)
2 2 2

B(3, 1) A(–5, 1)
–4 –2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 x –4 –2 0 M 2 4 x
–2 –2 –2
A(–3, –2)
–4 –4 –4

d y e A(–5, 4) y f y
8 4 4
A(–2, 3)
B(6, 4) M M
4 2 2
M B(3, 2)
B(6, 1)
–8 –4 0 4 8 x –4 –2 0 2 x –2 0 2 4 6 x
A(–4, –2)
–4 –2 –2

–8 –4 –4

g y B(5, 4) h y i y
4 4 4

2 2 2

M
–2 0 2 4 x –4 –2 0 2 x –4 –2 0 2 4 x
M A(–2, –1) M
–2 –2 B(3, –1) –2
A(–3, –2)
A(–5, –3) B(4, –3)
–4 –4 –4

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j y k y B(5, 5) l y
8 2
4
A(–6, 4)
4
M –2 0 2 4 6 x
M 2
B(4, 2) A(–2, –1) –2
–8 –4 0 4 8 x A(–3, 1) M
–2 0 2 4 x
–4 –4
–2
B(6, –5)

■
2 For each of the following diagrams, find the coordinates of A, given that M is the
midpoint of AB:
a y b y c y
4 6 4
A B(6, 5)
M(0, 2)
2 4 2

B(4, 1) M(2, 3)
2
–4 –2 0 2 4 x A –2 0 2 4 x
A M(1, –2)
–2 –2
–2 0 2 4 6 x
B(5, –3)
–4 –2 –4

d y e y f B(–1, 4) y
4 8 4

2 4 A 2

M(–3, 0)
–4 –2 0 2 4 x –8 –4 0 4 8 x –6 –4 –2 0 2 x
M(4, –2)
B(4, –1)
–2 –4 –2
A M(0, –2)

–4 –8 B(7, –7) –4
A

g y h A y i y
8 4
6
4 B(6, 3) 2
4
A M(1, 2) M(–1, 4)
–8 –4 0 4 8 x –2 0 2 4 x
2
A M(1, –2)
–4 B(2, 1) –2

–4 –2 0 2 4 x B(5, –3)
–8 –4

■
3 Find the midpoint of the interval joining:
a (0, 4) and (0, 8) b (1, 5) and (3, 7) c (1, 4) and (3, 2)
d (2, 7) and (6, 1) e (5, 0) and (3, 0) f (2, 6) and (2, 2)
g (1, 8) and (5, 2) h (7, 1) and (5, 3) i (0, 8) and (6, 6)
j (3, 4) and (5, 8) k (2, 5) and (2, 5) l (6, 4) and (6, 4)

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■
4 Find the coordinates of the midpoint of AB, given:
a A(5, 8) and B(7, 10) b A(2, 7) and B(6, 11) c A(2, 4) and B(6, 8)
d A(2, 6) and B(8, 12) e A(8, 4) and B(8, 6) f A(7, 7) and B(1, 1)
g A(11, 7) and B(11, 7) h A(1, 6) and B(9, 0) i A(22, 15) and B(6, 13)
j A(4, 13) and B(17, 0) k A(2, 7) and B(8, 11) l A(3, 4) and B(5, 6)

■
5 The vertices of ABC are A(2, 5), B(6, 7) and C (3, 3). Find the midpoint of each side.

■
6 The vertices of PQR are P(2, 3), Q(10, 9) and R(8, 0).
a Find the midpoints of PR and QR.
b Find the length of the interval joining these midpoints.

■
7 The coordinates of the midpoint of AB are (4, 6). If A is the point (11, 14), what are
the coordinates of B ?

■
8 Prove that the midpoint of (5, 8) and (5, 8) is the origin.

■
9 A circle with centre (3, 2) has one end of a diameter at (2, 2). Find the coordinates
of the other end of the diameter.

■
10 A and B are the points (3, 2) and (7, 6). Find:
a the exact distance AB b the coordinates of the midpoint of AB

■
11 a For each diagram, find the midpoint of AC.
b For each diagram, find the midpoint of BD.
c Are the midpoints of AC and BD the same for each shape?
d Which properties of the plane shapes do these answers reflect?
i A(2, 6) B(6, 6) ii A(1, 7) B(8, 7)

D(2, 2) C(6, 2) D(1, 3) C(8, 3)

■
12 Given that the midpoint of (a, b) and (11, 19) is (8, 14), find the values of a and b.

■
13 Point A has coordinates (p, q). What are the coordinates of point B so that (0, 0) is the
midpoint of AB ?

■
14 The midpoint of PQ is (2, 4). Calculate the values of p and q, given P(p, 6) and
Q(3, q).

■
15 The midpoint of H(1, 4) and K(3, 6) is also the midpoint of D(0, 5) and E(a, b).
What are coordinates of E ?

■
16 The points E(1, 3), F(3, 1), G(1, 3) and H(3, 1) form the vertices of a square.
a Show that the lengths of the diagonals are equal.
b Show that the diagonals bisect each other.

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■
17 The graph shows 3 points of parallelogram PQRS. y
4
a What are the coordinates of S? Q
b Find the midpoint of PR. P 2
c Find the midpoint of QS.
d What property of a parallelogram do your answers
–4 –2 0 2 4 x
to b and c demonstrate? R
–2

■
18 A(1, 1) and B(5, 4) are the end points of the diameter of a circle.
a What is the length of the radius of the circle?
b What point is the centre of the circle?
c Show that the point (1, 4) lies on the circle.

The gradient of a line

The slope of a line is generally called the gradient of the line. It is
a measure of how steep the line is.
positive gradient
If the line is leaning to the right (in other words, if from
left to right the line is going up), it has a positive gradient.
If the line is leaning to the left (in other words, if from left to right the
line is going down), it has a negative gradient.
negative gradient
The gradient of a line can be found by comparing its
vertical rise with its horizontal run. It is often written as
vertical
a fraction. rise

vertical rise
CD-ROM Gradient
 
horizontal run
horizontal run

Examples
●
1 Plot the points A(1, 3) and B(5, 6) and find the gradient of the line joining them.

vertical rise y B(5, 6)

Gradient
 6 This line has a
horizontal run
positive gradient
BC 4 because it is leaning

AC
 to the right.
A(1, 3) C
3 2


4
–2 0 2 4 6 x

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●
2 Plot the points A(1, 6) and B(3, 2), then find the gradient of the line AB.

vertical rise A(–1, 6) y

Gradient
 6 The line has a negative
horizontal run gradient because it is
4 4 leaning to

4 the left.
2

1 C B(3, 2)

–4 –2 0 2 4 x
–2

The gradient formula y

CD-ROM
We can easily derive a formula for the gradient of a line.
B(x2, y 2)
Let two points A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2) be on the line.
A(x1, y 1) y2
y1
vertical rise
Gradient
 C y2
horizontal run x2
x1
y1
BC


AC 0 x1 x
y2  y1 x2


x2  x1
The gradient is

The gradient m of a line AB through the points A(x1, y1) generally
y2  y1 represented by the
and B(x2, y2) is given by the formula m
 . pronumeral m.
x2  x1

Examples
●
1 Find the gradient of the line passing through the points A(2, 5) and B(4, 9).
A(2, 5) B(4, 9)
˝˝ ˝˝ It does not matter which
x1 y1 x2 y2 point we name as (x1, y1).
y2  y1
Now: m

x2  x 1
95


42
4


2

2
m stands for gradient.
The gradient is 2.

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●
2 Find the gradient of the straight line passing through the points A(4, 7) and
B(6, 2).
A(4, 7) B(6, 2)
˝˝ ˝ ˝
x1 y1 x2 y2
y2  y1
Now: m

x2  x 1
2  7


6  (4)
2  7


6  4
9


2

412
The gradient is 412 .

The angle of inclination with the positive direction of the x-axis

rise opposite
We know that the gradient of a line is  and in trigonometry, tan θ
.
run adjacent
So the gradient of a straight line is directly related to the
tangent ratio and can be calculated if tan θ is known.
rise
opposite

The gradient of a line is given by m
tan θ. u
run
adjacent

Examples
●
1 Find the gradient of a line that is inclined to the positive direction of the
x-axis at an angle of 45°.
m
tan θ

tan 45°

1
The gradient of the line is 1.

●
29
2 Given that the gradient of a line is 50 , find correct to the nearest degree its
angle of inclination with the positive direction of the x-axis.
tan θ
m
29
tan θ
50
θ
30.113 733 15° (from the calculator)
The angle of inclination is 30° (to the nearest degree).

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Remember:
rise y2  y1
Gradient
slope

m

tan 
run x2  x1

E x e r c i s e 10D THE GRADIENT OF A LINE

■
1 Determine whether the gradient of the line drawn is positive or negative:
a y b y c y

0 x 0 x 0 x

d y e y f y

0 x 0 x 0 x

g y h y i y

0 x 0 x 0 x

■
2 a Use a right-angled triangle drawn from y
8 A
two points on the number plane and
rise
the relationship m
to find the
run F 6
B
gradient of each interval:
i AD ii BD 4
iii BE iv EC E
2
v FC
b Between which two points is the gradient:
1 –6 –4 –2 0 2 4 6 8 x
i 5? ii 5 ?
1
iii 2 ? iv 1? –2 C
1
v 3 ? vi 32 ?
–4
D

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y2  y1
■
3 Use the gradient formula m
 to find the gradient of the straight line
x2  x1
passing through:
a (1, 5) and (2, 7) b (1, 2) and (3, 4) c (2, 3) and (4, 7)
d (2, 4) and (1, 3) e (5, 4) and (1, 5) f (6, 2) and (8, 3)
g (3, 6) and (5, 1) h (8, 10) and (5, 1) i (3, 4) and (8, 6)
j (8, 1) and (4, 5) k (3, 6) and (2, 4) l (0, 0) and (6, 9)

■
4 Find the gradient of the line between:
a (2, 3) and (0, 1) b (1, 3) and (4, 7) c (3, 2) and (3, 4)
d (1, 6) and (2, 8) e (3, 4) and (0, 2) f (4, 2) and (4, 1)
g (3, 4) and (5, 5) h (0, 4) and (6, 8) i (2, 3) and (6, 6)
j (0, 2) and (5, 0) k (6, 4) and (3, 4) l (2, 1) and (1, 7)

■
5 The gradient of (3, 2) and (x, 0) is 2. Find the value of x.
Collinear points lie on the
■
6 Show that (1, 1), (1, 5) and (3, 7) are collinear. same line, so the gradient
between any pair of points on
■
7 Which of the following sets of points are collinear? the line will be the same.
A (1, 5), (2, 3), (4, 2) B (0, 9), (4, 7), (6, 6)
C (2, 3), (0, 1), (1, 1)

■8 Find the gradient of the line that passes through the points P(4, 2) and Q(7, 8).

■9 A line passes through the points A(3, 2) and B(6, 9). Find its gradient.

■
10 Find the slope of the line that passes through the points A(5, 3) and B(1, 7).

■
11 Find, correct to 2 decimal places where necessary, the gradient of a line that is inclined
to the positive direction of the x-axis at an angle of:
a 30° b 45° c 60° d 120°
e 135° f 150° g 69° h 75°

■
12 Find, correct to the nearest degree where necessary, the angle of inclination to the
positive direction of the x-axis of a line with gradient:
1
a 1 b 3 c
3  d 

3
1 3
e 2 f 4 g 1.19 h 0.79

■
13 Show that the points A(0, 3), B(3, 9) and C(2, 1) are collinear.

■
1
14 A line passes through the points P(2, 7) and Q(x, 5) and its gradient is  2. Find the
value of x.

■
15 Find the gradient of the line passing through the origin and the midpoint of A(1, 4)
and B(3, 6).

■
16 A(1, 1), B(6, 1), C(6, 4) and D(1, 4) are the vertices of a rectangle. Find the gradient of:
a the diagonal AC b the diagonal BD

■
17 P (4, 5), Q(0, 3) and R(2, 2) are three points on a number plane.
a Find the gradient of PQ. b Find the gradient of QR.
c What do you conclude about the points P, Q and R?

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Linear equations A linear equation is the

equation of a straight line.
Gradient–intercept form
The gradient–intercept form of a linear equation is y
mx  b
where m is the gradient and b is the y-intercept. To change a linear
equation to gradient–intercept form, make y the subject.

y=x
Examples
Every point that lies on a
●
1 Write the gradient m and y-intercept b of each equation: straight line satisfies its
a y
2x  5 linear equation.
b y
4x  3

a y
2x  5 is in the form y
mx  b.
Compare the two equations:
y
2x  5
˝ ˝ The gradient is always
y
mx  b the same throughout
the line.

m
2 and b
5

y
2x  5 has gradient 2 and y-intercept 5.
b y
4x  3 is in the form y
mx  b.
Compare the two equations:
y
4x  3
˝ ˝
y
mx  b

m
4 and b
3

y
4x  3 has gradient 4 and y-intercept 3.

●
2 Find the gradient and y-intercept of 2x  y
7.
To find the gradient
Write the equation 2x  y
7 in the form y
mx  b. and y-intercept, write
the equation in the
y
2x  7 form y
mx  b.

m
2 and b
7

the gradient is 2 and the y-intercept is 7.

●
3 Find the equation of the line that has gradient 5 and
y-intercept 2.
The gradient–intercept form of a straight line is To change the equation to
gradient–intercept form,
y
mx  b and we have m
5 and b
2.
make y the subject.

the equation of the line is y
5x  2.

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General form
The general form of a linear equation is ax  by  c
0, where a, b and c are whole numbers
and a  0. For example, 3x  2y  7
0 is in general form.
To change a linear equation to general form:
p Remove all fractions.
p Move all terms to one side.
p Make the x term positive.
p Write the x term first, then the y term and last of all the constant.

Examples
●
1 Write each equation in general form: 3x
a y
2x  1 b y
  5
4
3x
a y
2x 1 b y
   5
4
0
2x  1  y Multiply both sides by 4:
2x  y  1
0 (general form) 4y
3x  20
4y  3x  20
0
3x  4y  20
0 (general form)

●
2 Show that the point (3, 4) lies on the line 2x  3y  6
0.
Substitute (3, 4) into the equation 2x  3y  6
0:
A point lies on a line
2x  3y  6
0 if its coordinates
2  (3)  3  4  6
0 satisfy the equation
of the line.
6  12  6
0
0
0 This is true.

the point (3, 4) lies on the line 2x  3y  6
0.

E x e r c i s e 10E L I N E A R E Q U AT I O N S

■
1 Write in general form:
a 2x  3y
7 b xy
9 c 3x  6
2y
d 8y  5
3x e 5x  y
8 f y
2x  1
g y
4x  10 h 8x  7
5y i 3x  y
4
x
j y
  1 k y  x
14 l 9x
8y  3
3
■
2 Write in gradient–intercept form:
a 3y
6x  12 b 5y
2x  7 c 9  y
6x
d 8y  3x
9 e y  3x
0 f 7x  y
14
g xy
1 h 3x  y
8 i 3y
9x  18
j y  2x
7 k 7y
8x  10 l 3y
9x

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■
3 Write down the gradient m and the y-intercept b for each equation:
a y
2x  1 b y
7x  3 c y
x5 d y
2x  3
1 1 1
e y
2x  2
  f y
4x  1
  g y
2x  4
  h y
x

■
4 Write the equation of each line in gradient–intercept form, given the gradient m and
the y-intercept b :
a m
2, b
1 b m
7, b
2 c m
1, b
4
1 4
d m
2, b
3
  e m
3, b
3
  f m
2, b
9

■
5 Change each equation to the form y
mx  b and then write its gradient and
y-intercept:
a 3x  4y
24 b xy
5 c y  9
5x d 4x  5y
10

■
6 State whether the point given after each linear equation lies on that line:
a x  3y
6 (0, 2) b 2x  y
4 (2, 0)
c y
3x  7 (1, 2) d 5x  3y
8 (2, 3)
2x
e y
  1 (0, 1) f 3y  x
12 (3, 5)
3
1
g y
3x  4 (1, 1) h y
3x  6 (6, 4)

■
7 Which of the following points lie on the line y
3x  2?
(0, 2) (2, 3) (1, 1) (0, 0) (4, 10)

■
8 Which of the following lines pass through the point (0, 0)?
A y
x B y
x  1 C y
2x  3 D y
1x
2
E y
2x  1 F y
3x  5 G 3x  4y
0 H 3
x y
0
5

■
9 Change each equation to gradient–intercept form and then write its gradient and
y-intercept:
a 2x  y
7 b xy6
0 c 1x  y
0 d 3x  2y  5
0
2

■
1 2
10 Write in general form the equation of a straight line with gradient 3 and y-intercept 3.

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W O R K I N G M AT H E M AT I C A L LY

Reflecting on gradient
The points A(2, 1) and B(4, 5) are shown on the y
number plane.
6
B
■
1 What is the gradient of the interval AB?
4
■
2 a If A and B are reflected across the y-axis, what
are the coordinates of the new points? 2
b What is the gradient of the line joining these new A
points? 0
–2 2 4 6 8 x
■
3 a Suppose instead A and B are reflected across –2
the x-axis. What are the coordinates of the
new points?
b What is the gradient of the line joining these new points?

■
4 a If A and B are rotated about the origin by 180°, what are the coordinates of the
new points?
b What is the gradient of the line joining these new points?

■
5 a Suppose the coordinates of A and B are both interchanged so, for example, A(2, 1)
becomes A'(1, 2). What are the coordinates of the new points?
b What is the gradient of the line joining these new points?

■
6 Comment on what this activity demonstrates.

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Parallel lines
Two straight lines l1 and l2 make angles of inclination θ1 and θ2 y
l2 l1
respectively as shown in the diagram.
Let the gradient of l1 be m1 and the gradient of l2 be m2.
If l1 is parallel to l2:
θ1
θ2 (Their angles of inclination are equal.)

tan θ1
tan θ2
u2 u1

m1
m2 (The gradient of a line is equal to the 0 x
tangent of its angle of inclination.)

If a line with gradient m1 is parallel to a line with gradient m2: m1
m2

Examples
●
1 A is the point (2, 2), B is (5, 1), C is (6, 4) and D is (1, 1). Which of the
lines AB, BC, CD and DA are parallel? What shape is ABCD ?
y2  y1
Gradient

x2  x 1
1  (2) 41
Gradient of AB
 Gradient of BC
 If m1
m2, the
5  (2) 65 lines are parallel.
12 3



52 1
3
3


7
14 2  1
Gradient of CD
 
1  6
Gradient of DA

2  (1)
3 3 The mathematical



7 2  1 symbol for
3 3 ‘parallel to’ is .



7 1

3

AB CD and BC DA. The figure ABCD is a parallelogram.

●
2 Prove that the straight lines 2x  y  3
0 and 2x  y  7
0 are parallel.
Change the equations to gradient–intercept form:
In y
mx  b, m is
2x  y  3
0 2x  y  7
0 the gradient and b is
2x  3
y 2x  7
y the y-intercept.

y
2x  3
y
2x  7

m1
2
m2
2
Since m1
m2
2, the lines are parallel.

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E x e r c i s e 10F PA R A L L E L L I N E S

■
1 State whether or not each pair of lines are parallel:
a x  3y  9
0 and x  3y  7
0 b 2x  y
6 and 3x  7y
9
c 3x  7y  8
0 and 3x  7y
2 d x  2y
6 and x  2y  5
0
e x  y  2
0 and x  y  7
0 f y
4x  3 and y
4x  5
g y
2x  1 and y
2x  8 h y
3x  1 and y
5x  7

■
2 Find the gradient of a straight line parallel to the line 5x  y  6
0.

■
3 Find the gradient of a straight line parallel to the line joining (2, 3) and (5, 1).

■
4 Show that the line joining (5, 8) and (1, 4) is parallel to the line 4x  2y  3
0.

■
5 What is the gradient of a line parallel to the straight line 3x  2y  9
0?

■
6 What is the value of m if the lines y
4x  3 and y
mx  5 are parallel?

■
7 Write in general form the equation of the line that has y-intercept 7 and is parallel to
the line y
2x  1.

■
8 The line l has gradient 2 and y-intercept 5. The line n passes through the points
(1, 1) and (2, 5). Show that l is parallel to n.

■
9 Show that the points A(2, 6), B(5, 2), C(1, 1) and D(2, 3) are the vertices of a
parallelogram.

■
10 The vertices of a quadrilateral are A(2, 1), B(8, 2), C(9, 5) and D(3, 4).
a Find the gradient of:
i AB ii BC iii CD iv DA
b What kind of a quadrilateral is this?

■
11 Change each equation to gradient–intercept form and then decide whether or not each
pair of lines are parallel:
a 3x  2y
7 and 2y
7  3x b 5x  9
4y and 5x  4y  12
0
2
c 2x  6y  3
0 and 3y
x  5 d y
 3x  6 and 2x  3y  17
0
e x  y  3
0 and x  y  6
0 f 4x  2y
5 and 2x
y  9

■
12 What is the gradient of any line that is parallel to the given line?
3
a y
7x  5 b 2x  3y  6
0

■
13 Which of the lines y
2x  1, y
4x  1, y
2x and 4x  2y  6
0 are parallel?

■
14 Only two of the following lines are parallel. Find them.
y
x2 xy
2 xy
2 2x  y
0 x  2y
0

■
15 a Find the equation of the line that has y-intercept 2 and is parallel to y
3x  4.
b Line PQ has y-intercept 3 and is parallel to y
5x  2. What is its equation?
c A line has y-intercept 8 and is parallel to x  y
7. Find the equation of this line.

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P R O B L E M S O L V I N G 10

The coordinates (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3), . . . , (xn, yn ) of a convex polygon can be used to
calculate its area (A). The coordinates must be taken in an anticlockwise direction around the
polygon, beginning and ending at the same point.
1
A
2[(x1y2  x2y3  x3y4  …  xny1)  (y1x2  y2x3  y3x4  …  ynx1)]
That is, multiply the x-value of one point by the y-value of the next point in an anticlockwise
direction, going all the way around, and add all these products. Then do the same beginning
with the y-value of one point and the x-value of the next point, also going in an anticlockwise
direction. Subtract the second total from the first, then halve the result.
For example, to calculate the area of a y
triangle with coordinates (2, 5), (–4, 3) 6
(2, 5)
and (5, 1), first draw the triangle on a 5
number plane. 4
(–4, 3)
3
2
Then use the two diagrams below to
1 (5, 1)
multiply the x-values and y-values. (You can
start and finish at any point.)
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 x

y y
point 1
6 6
( 2, 5 ) (start/finish) ( 2, 5 )
5 5
point 2
4 4
( –4, 3 ) ( –4, 3 )
3 3
2 point 3 2
1 ( 5, 1 ) 1 ( 5, 1 )

–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 x –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 x

1
A
2  [(2  3  4  1  5  5)  (5  4  3  5  1  2)]
1

2  [27  (3)]
2

15 units

■
1 Calculate the area of the triangle with vertices A(1, 0), B(4, 3) and C (3, 5).

■
2 Calculate the area of the quadrilateral with vertices (0, 2), (1, 1), (1, 4) and (4, 2).

■
3 Calculate the area of the pentagon with vertices P(1, 7), Q(3, 5), R(2, 5), S(2, 3)
and T(3, 0).

■
2
4 Can you write down the coordinates of a triangle of area 24 units ?

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Literacy
L
Li c
racy skills
kills
acy skillsills Literac y S K I L L S 10

coordinate midpoint length gradient

distance perpendicular interval
positive gradient negative gradient vertical rise
horizontal run collinear linear equation
general form parallel lines
literacy

■
1 When arranged in alphabetical order, which of the above terms comes:
a first? b third? c last?

■
2 The coordinates (2, 3) are known as an ordered pair. What does this mean?

■
3 Which part of the word quadrant means 4?

■
4 a The words bisect and dissect are often confused. Use a dictionary to explain the
difference in meaning between these words.
b Draw a line 12 cm long and trisect it.

■
5 Two key features of a straight line are its gradient and its y-intercept. Explain the
meaning of each of these terms.

■
6 What is the gradient of a horizontal line? y
4
■
7 Look at the line on the right and then answer
the following questions.
2
a What is the y-intercept?
b What is the x-intercept?
c What is the gradient? –4 –2 0 2 4 x
d Copy the diagram into your book and draw
on it a line that is perpendicular to the given –2
line and that passes through (2, 0).
e Fine the y-intercept and the gradient of the –4
second line.

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Chapter review 10

■
1 Use the distance formula to find the exact distance between each pair of points:
a (1, 8) and (7, 5) b (0, 2) and (7, 3) c (4, 1) and (5, 2)

■
2 Find the perimeter of the triangle whose vertices are A(4, 6), B(9, 6) and C(1, 0).

■
3 Find the midpoint of the interval joining:
a (5, 1) and (3, 1) b (1, 2) and (5, 8) c (0, 4) and (6, 10)

■
4 The coordinates of the midpoint of AB are (6, 7). If A is the point (4, 4), what are the
coordinates of B ?

■
5 Find the gradient of the line between:
a (3, 4) and (1, 0) b (2, 4) and (6, 3) c (1, 0) and (2, 8)

■
6 Show that the points A(3, 4), B(0, 2) and C(3, 0) are collinear.

■
7 Write in general form:
x
a 3x  5y
8 b y
2  7 c 3y
7x  11

■
8 Write in gradient–intercept form, then state the gradient and y-intercept for:
a xy
3 b 4x  3y
7 c 2x  y
8

■
9 Find the gradient and y-intercept of each equation:
a y
3x  5 b 3x  4y
12 c y
2x  3

■
10 What is the value of m if the lines y
3x  5 and y
mx  7 are parallel?

■
11 Find the equation of the line that has gradient 5 and y-intercept 3.

■
2
12 What is the equation of the line that has gradient 5 and y-intercept 3?

■
3
13 Write the equation of the line y
7x 4 in general form.

■
14 Which of the lines y
3x  1, x  y
5 and y  3x
0 are parallel?

■
15 For the points A(3, 8) and B(5, 2), find:
a the distance AB (in surd form) b the midpoint of AB
c the gradient of AB

■
16 If the end points of a diameter of a circle are (2, 4) and (6, 8), what are the coordinates
of the centre?

■
17 The midpoint of P(2, 5) and Q(a, b) is M(2, 1). Find the coordinates of point Q.

■
18 Find the exact distance between the points (2, 3) and (4, 5).

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19 Show that the point A(3, 4) is equidistant from the points B(1, 1), C(0, 0) and D(6, 8).

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20 Find the exact distance of the point (1, 3) from the midpoint of the line joining (7, 9)
and (3, 5).

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21 Show that the midpoint of (3, 10) and (3, 10) is the origin.

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22 Show that the points A(0, 3), B(5, 0) and C(10, 9) are collinear.

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23 If the end points of a diameter of a circle are (2, 3) and (8, 5), what are the coordinates
of the centre?

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24 If (x, 7) is the midpoint of (2, 6) and (8, 8), what is the value of x ?

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25 Given that (x, y) is the midpoint of (3, 5) and (7, 3), find the values of x and y.

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26 Prove that the midpoint of (0, 7) and (6, 3) is the point (3, 2).

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27 E is the midpoint of A(2, 5) and B(4, 7), and F is the midpoint of L(5, 9) and M(11, 15).
Find the exact distance EF.

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28 a Find the midpoint of AC. y
B(2, 6) C(8, 6)
b Find the midpoint of BD. 6

c Are the answers to a and b the same? 5

4
3
2
A(2, 2) D(8, 2)
1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 x

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29 The midpoint of (x, y) and (8, 11) is (6, 9). Find the values of x and y.

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30 The centre of a circle is (5, 4) and a point (9, 7) is on the circumference. Find the radius
of the circle.

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31 Find the gradient of the straight line passing through the points:
a (2, 3) and (4, 7) b (0, 0) and (6, 3) c (5, 5) and (2, 3)

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32 a Does the point (3, 4) lie on the line y
x  7?
b Does the line 2x  3y
12 pass through the point (6, 8)?
c Which of the points (3, 0) and (0, 3) lies on the line y
2x  3?

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33 a Given that the point (1, 1) lies on the line y
3x  b, find the value of b.
b Find the equation of the straight line that has gradient 2 and y-intercept 5.

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34 For the points J (2, 5) and K (3, 8), find:
a the exact distance of JK b the midpoint of JK c the gradient of JK
1
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35 a Find the equation of the straight line that has y-intercept 3 and is parallel to
y
2x  7.
b Find the equation of the line that passes through the point (0, 5) and is parallel to
y
2x  9.

356 C O N N E C T I O N S M A T H S 9 S T A G E 5.3 / 5.2 / 5.1