Find the distance between the two points.(0, 7), (–12, –2)

Take the coordinates of two points you want to find the distance between. Call one point Point 1 (x1,y1) and make the other Point 2 (x2,y2). It does not terribly matter which point is which, as long as you keep the labels (1 and 2) consistent throughout the problem.[1] x1 is the horizontal coordinate (along the x axis) of Point 1, and x2 is the horizontal coordinate of Point 2. y1 is the vertical coordinate (along the y axis) of Point 1, and y2 is the vertical coordinate of Point 2. For an example, take the points (3,2) and (7,8). If (3,2) is (x1,y1), then (7,8) is (x2,y2).

Do the inverse operation