Question

Coach Richt drew his football team’s play on a coordinate grid. He placed Matt at (1,3). He
will be passing the ball to A.J. at ( – 6, 3). What is the distance, in yards, of the pass from Matt to
A.J.?

Answer 1

To find the distance between the two points \( (1, 3) \) and \( (-6, 3) \) on the coordinate grid, we can use the distance formula. However, since both points have the same \( y \)-coordinate (3), we can simplify the problem by noting that the distance is merely the difference between the \( x \)-coordinates.

The \( x \)-coordinates are \( 1 \) and \( -6 \). The distance can be found as follows:

\[
\text{Distance} = |x_2 - x_1| = |-6 - 1| = |-7| = 7
\]

Thus, the distance of the pass from Matt to A.J. is \( \boxed{7} \) yards.