Answer:
[tex]\fbox{\begin{minipage}{11em}N is closer to P than M\end{minipage}}[/tex]
Step-by-step explanation:
Step 1: Define the way to calculate distance between 2 points in two-dimensional (2D) plane
Supposing that there are two points [tex](x_{1}, y_{1})[/tex] and [tex](x_{2}, y_{2})[/tex] on 2D plane.
The distance [tex]d[/tex] between these two points is calculated by:
[tex]d = \sqrt{(x_{1} - x_{2}) ^{2} + (y_{1} - y_{2})^{2} }[/tex]
Step 2: Calculate the distance [tex]d_{1}[/tex] between [tex]M(3, 6)[/tex] & [tex]P(-2, -1)[/tex] and distance [tex]d_{2}[/tex] between [tex]N(6, -4)[/tex] and [tex]P(-2, -1)[/tex]
Applying the formula in step 1:
[tex]d_{1} = \sqrt{(3+ 2) ^{2} + (6 + 1)^{2} } = \sqrt{25 + 49} = \sqrt{74}[/tex]
[tex]d_{2} = \sqrt{(6+ 2) ^{2} + (-4 + 1)^{2} } = \sqrt{64 + 9} = \sqrt{73}[/tex]
Step 3: Compare and conclude
Because [tex]\sqrt{73} < \sqrt{74}[/tex] => [tex]d_{2} < d_{1}[/tex] => N is closer to P than M
Hope this helps!
:)
