Question

Suppose that E and F are points on the number line. If EF=5 and F lies at -3, where could E be located?

Answer 1

There are two possible locations. E could be located in either -8 or 2.

Explanation:

The number line is a one-dimensional graphing model for real numbers, in which each element is represented by points. Under this system, there are two directions:

`-x` - Left semiaxis that corresponds to negative real numbers.

`+x` - Right semiaxis that corresponds to positive real numbers.

Both semiaxis are divided by origin, which represents the real number zero.

Let E and F points on the number. If we know that
`F = -3` and
`EF = 5`, there are two choices for the location of E. That is:

`E_(1) = F+EF`

`E_(1) = -3+5`

`E_(1) = 2`

`E_(2) = F-EF`

`E_(2) = -3 -5`

`E_(2) = -8`

There are two possible locations. E could be located in either -8 or 2.