1. **State the problem:** We need to find the distance between two points $A(3, 8)$ and $B(-1, 1)$ in the coordinate plane. 2. **Formula used:** The distance $d$ between two points $(x_1, y_1)$ and $(x_2, y_2)$ is given by the distance formula: $$d = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2}$$ 3. **Apply the formula:** Substitute $x_1 = 3$, $y_1 = 8$, $x_2 = -1$, and $y_2 = 1$: $$d = \sqrt{(-1 - 3)^2 + (1 - 8)^2}$$ 4. **Simplify inside the square root:** $$d = \sqrt{(-4)^2 + (-7)^2}$$ $$d = \sqrt{16 + 49}$$ 5. **Calculate the sum:** $$d = \sqrt{65}$$ 6. **Find the decimal approximation:** $$d \approx 8.1$$ **Final answer:** The distance from point A to point B is approximately **8.1**.