Final answer:
The distance between two points on a number line is calculated by finding the absolute value of the difference between the two points.
Step-by-step explanation:
The distance between two points, a and b, on a number line is given by the absolute value of the difference between a and b, expressed as |a – b|. For example, if a = 3 and b = 8, the distance between them would be |3 – 8| = |-5| = 5.
The distance formula for a number line is similar to the absolute value formula, where the absolute value function represents the distance between two points.
In summary, the distance between two points, a and b, on a number line is calculated using the formula |a – b|.