Which expression gives the distance between the points (4, −2) and (4, −5) ?

Use the coordinate grid to help you find the answer.


(1 point)
Responses

|−5| + |−2|
|−5| + |−2|

|−5| + |4|
|−5| + |4|

|−5| − |−2|
|−5| − |−2|

|−5| − |4|
|−5| − |4|
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1 answer

To find the distance between the points (4, −2) and (4, −5), we can use the distance formula for points on a vertical or horizontal line. Since both points have the same x-coordinate (4), they are vertically aligned on the grid.

The distance between two points with the same x-coordinate can be calculated using the absolute difference of their y-coordinates:

Distance = |y2 − y1|

Here, \( y1 = -2 \) and \( y2 = -5 \).

So, the distance is:

Distance = |-5 - (-2)| = |-5 + 2| = |-3| = 3.

Now, looking at the options provided:

  • None of the expressions explicitly match the direct calculation we performed. The correct way to express this scenario would be using the absolute difference formula between the y-coordinates.

However, the closest expression that might represent a form of the calculation is:

|−5| − |−2|

But this expression evaluates as:

|-5| = 5 and |-2| = 2

So, |−5| − |−2| = 5 - 2 = 3, which gives us the distance.

Thus, the correct response would be:

|−5| − |−2|.