Question

What is the distance between (-6, 2) and (-6, 9)

Answer 1

Distance = 7 units

Explanation:

We can find the distance between a set of points using the distance formula, which is

`d=\sqrt{(x_(2)-x_(1))^2+(y_(2)-y_(1))^2 }`, where

• d is the distance,
• (x1, y1) are one point,
• and (x2, y2) is another point.

Allowing (-6, 2) to be our (x1, y1) point and (-6, 9) to be our (x2, y2) point, we can plug these in and find the distance:

`d=√((-6-(-6))^2+(9-2)^2)\\ d=√((-6+6)^2+(7)^2)\\ d=√(0^2+49)\\ d=√(49)\\ d=7`

Although taking the square root of a number gives you both a negative and positive answer since squaring both a positive and negative answer yields a positive number (e.g., 2 * 2 = 4, but -2 * -2 also = 4), we cannot have a negative distance. Thus, the distance, d, between (-6, 2) and (-6, 9) is 7 units.