Share a link to this answer. There is undoubtedly a much nicer geometric approach. What is the length of this red line.
Provide the x1 y1 x2 and y2 values to find the distance using this distance between two points calculator.
For the same example points 32 and 78. Provide the x1 y1 x2 and y2 values to find the distance using this distance between two points calculator. The distance is the same in either direction going from point 1 to point 2 or vice versa. If we substitute in the expression for square of distance we find that the minimum distance is indeed 1 3.