EDGE Math 8

Example

What is the length of $\bar{S R}$ in the following figure?

Solution

Calculate the length of $\bar{S R}$ using the Ruler Postulate.

S R = | - 7 - 6 | = | - 13 | = 13

What do you think will happen if you interchange the coordinates of the points in the example above?

Interchanging the coordinates will result in the same answer since it is the absolute value of their difference that is used in the computation.

Look at the resulting length of $\bar{S R}$ when –7 and 6 are interchanged.

S R = | 6 - (- 7) | = | 13 | = 13