High School

What is the distance between -131 and -87 on a number line?

A. [tex]$-218$[/tex]
B. [tex]$-44$[/tex]
C. 44
D. 218

Answer :

To find the distance between -131 and -87 on a number line, we follow these steps:

1. Identify the numbers on the number line: We have two numbers: -131 and -87.

2. Calculate the difference between the numbers: The distance between two numbers on the number line is the absolute value of their difference. Mathematically, this is written as:
[tex]\[
\text{Distance} = |-131 - (-87)|
\][/tex]
Simplifying inside the absolute value:
[tex]\[
= |-131 + 87|
\][/tex]

3. Perform the calculation inside the absolute value:
[tex]\[
-131 + 87 = -44
\][/tex]

4. Find the absolute value of the result: The absolute value of -44 is 44. This is because the absolute value of a number is its distance from zero on the number line, regardless of direction.

Therefore, the distance between -131 and -87 is 44. So, the correct answer is [tex]\( 44 \)[/tex].
The distance between -131 and -87 on a number line would be C. 44.

We use Absolute Value when determining distance, because things cannot have a negative distance between each other. Absolute value changes the number or expression inside to be positive. This would be the solution

|-131| - |-87| = 44
Which also means
131 - 87 = 44