Final answer:
The points (2,4) and (2,-8) lie on the same vertical line, and the distance between them is found by calculating the difference in their y-coordinates, which is 12 units.
Step-by-step explanation:
When plotting the points (2,4) and (2,-8), you'll notice they both have the same x-coordinate, which means they're on the same vertical line. To find the distance between two points, we can use the distance formula, but because they're on the same vertical line, the distance is simply the difference in their y-coordinates.
The distance between (2,4) and (2,-8) is:
|4 - (-8)| = |4 + 8| = |12| = 12 units.