From the statement of the problem, we know that.
⢠Andrea lives 5 1/2 blocks to the west of school â x = -5.5,
,
⢠Ben lives 4 blocks to the east of school â x = +4,
,
⢠Christine lives 2 blocks to the west of school â x = -2,
,
⢠Doug lives 6 1/2 blocks to the east of school â x = +6.5.
A) Using the data above, we have:
B) The x coordinate of:
⢠Andrea is x_A = -5.5,
,
⢠Ben is x_B = +4.
The distance between Ben and Andrea is equal to the difference between its coordinates:
[tex]d=x_B-x_A=4-(-5.5)=4+5.5=9.5.[/tex]
We find that Ben lives 9.5 blocks from Andrea.