What is the distance between C and H?
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What is the distance between C and H?
We first mark the letter C on the number line and then proceed towards the letter H:
Note that the distance between the two letters is 5 steps.
5
All negative numbers appear on the number line to the left of the number 0.
Distance is always positive - you can't have negative distance! The absolute value ensures your answer is positive regardless of which point you subtract from which.
Use the formula distance = |point₂ - point₁|. For C(-3) and H(2): distance = |2 - (-3)| = |5| = 5 units.
Yes! Counting is a great visual method. From -3 to 2, count each unit: -3→-2→-1→0→1→2 gives you 5 spaces.
No! Distance from C to H equals distance from H to C. That's why we use absolute value: |2-(-3)| = |(-3)-2| = 5.
Same process! For points at -5 and -2: distance = |(-2) - (-5)| = |3| = 3 units. The absolute value handles all cases.
Remember: subtracting a negative means adding. So 2 - (-3) becomes 2 + 3 = 5. Then apply absolute value if needed.
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