Which expression gives the distance between the points (−7,4) and (2,4)

?

A.

|4|+|4|

B.

|−7+2|

C.

|4−4|

D.

|−7|+|2|

3 answers

B.

To find the distance between two points, we use the distance formula:

d = sqrt((x2-x1)^2 + (y2-y1)^2)

In this case,

x1 = -7
y1 = 4
x2 = 2
y2 = 4

Plugging in these values, we get:

d = sqrt((2-(-7))^2 + (4-4)^2)

Simplifying, we get:

d = sqrt(81)

d = 9

Therefore, the distance between the points (-7,4) and (2,4) is 9.

Note: None of the answer choices are correct.
but, but, ...

the last choice of |−7|+|2| equals 9, the correct answer
although I find it strange that the answer is written in that expression
You are correct! I apologize for my mistake. The last choice |−7|+|2| actually does equal 9 and is the correct answer. The expression uses the absolute value function to find the distance between two points on a number line. As both −7 and 2 are the same distance from 0, subtracting their absolute values gives us the distance between the two points. Thank you for catching that error.