Euclidean distance

In mathematics, the Euclidean distance or Euclidean metric is the 'ordinary' straight-line distance between two points in Euclidean space. With this distance, Euclidean space becomes a metric space. The associated norm is called the Euclidean norm. Older literature refers to the metric as the Pythagorean metric. A generalized term for the Euclidean norm is the L2 norm or L2 distance. The Euclidean distance between points p and q is the length of the line segment connecting them ( p q ¯ {displaystyle {overline {mathbf {p} mathbf {q} }}} ). In Cartesian coordinates, if p = (p1, p2,..., pn) and q = (q1, q2,..., qn) are two points in Euclidean n-space, then the distance (d) from p to q, or from q to p is given by the Pythagorean formula: The position of a point in a Euclidean n-space is a Euclidean vector. So, p and q may be represented as Euclidean vectors, starting from the origin of the space (initial point) with their tips (terminal points) ending at the two points. The Euclidean norm, or Euclidean length, or magnitude of a vector measures the length of the vector: where the last expression involves the dot product. Describing a vector as a directed line segment from the origin of the Euclidean space (vector tail), to a point in that space (vector tip), its length is actually the distance from its tail to its tip. The Euclidean norm of a vector is seen to be just the Euclidean distance between its tail and its tip. The relationship between points p and q may involve a direction (for example, from p to q), so when it does, this relationship can itself be represented by a vector, given by