Question

select the correct answer from the drop - down menu.
what is the rule postulate?
the distance between two points can be determined by the
of the real number values of the two points.
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Explanation:

Step1: Recall distance formula on number line

The distance between two points \( x_1 \) and \( x_2 \) on the number line (or for real numbers) is given by the absolute value of their difference, i.e., \( |x_2 - x_1| \). This is because distance is a non - negative quantity, and the absolute value function \( |a|=

$$\begin{cases}a, & a\geq0\\-a, & a < 0\end{cases}$$

\) ensures that we get a non - negative value for the distance between two real numbers.

Step2: Identify the term

The key concept here is that the distance between two points (represented by real numbers) is the absolute value of the difference of the real number values of the two points. So the missing term is "absolute value" (or more precisely, the absolute value of the difference, but in the context of the question, the main operation related to finding the distance between two real - valued points is taking the absolute value of their difference).

Answer:

absolute value (of the difference)