Question

A point P lies on the x-axis and another point Q lies on the y-axis.
If the abscissa of point P is -12 and the ordinate of point Q is -16; calculate the length of line segment PQ.

Answer 1

The co-ordinates of P and Q are (-12, 0) and (0, -16) respectively.
PQ = `sqrt((-12 - 0)^2 + (0 + 16)^2)`
= `sqrt(144 + 256)`
= `sqrt(400)`
= 20