Question

T. For a science experiment, Katie had

to cool one sample bacteria to -52°C.
She had to cool a second sample
bacterium to -79°C. What is the
difference in the two temperatures?
Please help me figure out the equation too.

Answer 1

Explanation:

A "difference" indicates subtraction is being used. The difference between these 2 numbers is found the same way we find the distance between 2 points on a number line. Since both the difference and the distance have to be positive numbers, the formula to find it is

|a - b| which is the absolute value of a - b.

If a = -52 and b = -79:

| -52 - (-79) | = | -52 + 79 | = 27 OR

If a = -79 and b = -52:

| -79 - (-52) | = | -79 + 52 | = | -27 | = 27