Question on: JAMB Mathematics - 2015

The distance between two points $(x_1, y_1)$ and $(x_2, y_2)$ can be calculated using the distance formula:

$d = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2}$

In this case, the points are $(-2, -3)$ and $(-2, 4)$. Substituting the values into the formula:

$d = \sqrt{(-2 - (-2))^2 + (4 - (-3))^2}$ $d = \sqrt{(0)^2 + (7)^2}$ $d = \sqrt{0 + 49}$ $d = \sqrt{49}$ $d = 7$

However, since the x-coordinates are the same, the distance is simply the difference in the y-coordinates: $|4 - (-3)| = |4 + 3| = 7$. None of the given options equal 7, so there must be an error. The x-coordinates being the same also means the points lie on a vertical line. However, to choose between A, B, C, or D, we need to pick the value closest to the real value, since the exact value is not an option. Thus, D is the closest option.