Line ℓ has equation y= – 4. Find the distance between ℓ and the point X(4, – 5). Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

If you draw the line and point in the coordinate plane it will be easier to see how to solve the problem.

The distance would be the measurement of a perpendicular line from (4,-5) to y = -4, which would be 1 unit.