Final answer:
The distance between points P and Q in the (x, y) coordinate plane is √17 / 2 units, which is half the distance between points (-4, 2) and (-8, 1).
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the distance between points P and Q in the (x, y) coordinate plane that is half the distance between (-4, 2) and (-8, 1), first we need to calculate the distance between the two given points. The distance between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) in the Cartesian coordinate system is given by the formula:
d = √((x2 - x1)² + (y2 - y1)²)
Plugging in the given points:
d = √((-8 + 4)² + (1 - 2)²)
d = √((-4)² + (-1)²)
d = √(16 + 1)
d = √17
Since we want half this distance for points P and Q, the distance between P and Q is:
d(P,Q) = √17 / 2
Therefore, the distance between points P and Q in the (x, y) coordinate plane is √17 / 2 units.