Question

To find the distance between (17,3) and (17,−5), Marcia used the following equation. Is Marcia correct? Explain. D=|3−(−5)|=8

Answer 1

Explanation:

The formula for finding the distance between two points is expressed as shown

D = √(x₂-x₁)²+(y₂-y₁)²

Given the coordinate (17,3) and (17,−5), from the coordinates x₁ = 17, y₁ = 3, x₂ = 17 and y₂ = -5.Substituting the values given into the formula;

D = √(17-17)²+(-5-3)²

D = √0²+(-8)²

D = √64

D = 8

According to the result gotten, it can concluded that Marcia is correct although she didn't use the right expression to calculate her distance. She should have taken the square root of the sum of the square of difference in the coordinates axis according to the formula used.