pinenuts000 wrote:
I am a bit confused.
For |k+1| = 31 doesn't this mean:
k can equal 30 or k can equal -32?
Whenever you see a number inside ||, you are looking for the number's absolute value which is basically the number's positive value. For example, in X = |-1|, x would be 1 since we want the absolute value of -1 which is 1. in Y = |6-10|, y would be 4 because 6-10 is -4 and the absolute value of -4 is 4.
For this question 32 =|k|, k could be either 32 or -32. for 31 to be equal |k+1|, k has to be -32 because -32+1 is -31 and the absolute value of -31 is 31. Remember, you can have a negative number inside || (ex |-10|. but once you pull out the number, THE NUMBER WILL ALWAYS BE POSITIVE.
Hope it helps.