Distance & Midpoint Calculator
How far apart are two points? Where's the middle? Pop them in and find out instantly.
📖 How it works & FAQWhat this calculator does
Give it two points on a coordinate plane — point A at (x₁, y₁) and point B at (x₂, y₂) — and it returns two things: the straight-line distance between them and the midpoint that sits exactly halfway along the segment. It handles negative numbers, decimals, and points that share an x or y value (perfectly horizontal or vertical lines), so you don't have to special-case anything.
When you'd actually use it
This comes up constantly in algebra and geometry homework, but also outside the classroom. Map and design work: measure the gap between two grid coordinates, or find the center point to place a label. Woodworking and DIY: locate the exact middle of a diagonal for a screw or a pull. Game and graphics tinkering: find how far apart two sprites are, or spawn something halfway between them. Anywhere you have two (x, y) positions and need either "how far?" or "what's the center?", this saves you the arithmetic.
How it works
Distance uses the Pythagorean theorem, treating the segment as the hypotenuse of a right triangle: distance = √((x₂−x₁)² + (y₂−y₁)²). Midpoint is simpler — just the average of the two x-values and the average of the two y-values: ((x₁+x₂)/2, (y₁+y₂)/2). Worked example: for A(1, 2) and B(4, 6), the distance is √(3² + 4²) = √25 = 5, and the midpoint is (2.5, 4).
How to use it
- Type the coordinates of your first point into the x₁ and y₁ fields.
- Type the coordinates of your second point into the x₂ and y₂ fields. Negatives and decimals are fine.
- Read off the distance and the midpoint, which update as you type.
- Change any value to try a new pair — no need to clear or reset first.
FAQ
- Does the order of the two points matter?
- No. Distance and midpoint are the same whether you enter A then B or B then A, because the differences get squared and the coordinates get averaged.
- Why isn't the distance a whole number?
- Most point pairs don't form a clean Pythagorean triple, so the square root is irrational. The result is rounded for display, but it's the exact straight-line ("as the crow flies") distance, not a path along the grid.
- Can I use it for latitude and longitude?
- Not accurately. This uses flat-plane geometry. Real Earth distances need great-circle math because the surface is curved, so treat lat/long results as rough only.
- Is it free, and does anything get uploaded?
- It's completely free and ad-supported, and it runs entirely in your browser — your numbers are never sent anywhere.