Question

The vertices of a rectangle are at (−4, 2), (3, 2), (3, −2), and (−4, −2).

What is the length of the longer side of the rectangle?

Answer 1

7 units

Explanation:

You want the length of the longer side of the rectangle defined by the coordinates (−4, 2), (3, 2), (3, −2), and (−4, −2).

Side length

When you plot the points, or simply consider the coordinates, you see the sides of the rectangle are vertical and horizontal line segments.

The length of a vertical segment is the difference of its endpoint y-coordinates:

2 -(-2) = 4

The length of a horizontal segment is the difference of the x-coordinates of its endpoints:

3 -(-4) = 7

The longer side is 7 units long.