Mom and I are having a difference of opinion on this question, can you please help.
what is the distance between the two numbers on the number line.
-7/4 and 3/8 are the two numbers.
I made -7/4 into -14/8
then did -14/8 -3/8
next -14/8 + -3/8 =-17/8= - 2 1/8
The answer choices are
a) -2 1/8
b) -1 3/8
C) 1 3/8
D) 2 1/8
I said -2 1/8 but my mom said the distance couldn't be negative so she feels it is2 1/8.
can you help us.
Agree with Mom.
thank you.
can you possibly explain how my work is wrong and how it is done correctly?
Of course! I'd be happy to help you and your mom solve this math problem and understand the concept of distance between two numbers on a number line.
To find the distance between two numbers on a number line, you want to measure the absolute difference between them. In other words, you disregard the sign and focus only on the magnitude of the difference.
Let's go step by step through your calculation:
1. You correctly converted the first number, -7/4, into an equivalent fraction with a common denominator of 8. So, -7/4 becomes -14/8.
2. Next, you subtracted the second number, 3/8, from the first number: -14/8 - 3/8 = -17/8.
However, at this point, we need to remember that we are interested in the distance between the two numbers, not their sum or difference. Therefore, the negative sign of -17/8 does not affect the distance since we only consider the absolute value.
Taking the absolute value of -17/8 gives us 17/8. Consequently, the correct answer is 17/8, which is equivalent to 2 1/8.
Hence, your mom is correct. The correct answer to the question "what is the distance between the two numbers on the number line, -7/4 and 3/8?" is D) 2 1/8.