Education Technology


Points, Lines, and Distance

Activity Overview

Investigate the distance between two points, a point and a line, and two lines.

Objectives

  • Students will be able to recognize that the distance between two parallel lines is constant.
  • Students will identify segments that represent the distance between two points, a point and a line, and parallel lines.

Vocabulary

  • parallel lines
  • perpendicular lines
  • distance
  • coinciding points

About the Lesson

This lesson involves working with parallel lines and identifying distances between various points and lines. As a result students will:

  • Manipulate points and segments to determine that the distance between a point and a line is the length of the shortest segment from the point to the line.
  • Manipulate lines to make them parallel, then move a segment and observe that the measured distance between the two lines is constant.
  • Use informal deductive language to construct arguments about the distance between points and lines.