Vertical Distance

[flolisa]

what is the vertical distance from the origin to the point (8,1)

 

[skeeter]

vertical distance between two points = $|\Delta y|$

 

[HallsofIvy]

what is the vertical distance from the origin to the point (8,1)

How are you DEFINING "vertical" in two dimensions? "Vertical" is a three dimensional notion depending on the direction of gravity. It might make sense to define "vertical", in a two dimensional sense, in the direction of the y-axis in an xy-coordinate system (but that is, of course, completely arbitrary). Here, since you specified both the origin and the point (8, 1) we are given a coordinate system and can say that the "vertical distance" is 1.