Distance of point (−7, −2) from y-axis is

For any point P(x, y) in the coordinate plane, the perpendicular distance from P to the y-axis equals the absolute value of its x-coordinate, |x|. This is because the foot of the perpendicular from P onto the y-axis is the point (0, y), so the horizontal segment PQ has length |x − 0| = |x|. By the same reasoning, the distance of P from the x-axis equals |y|, the absolute value of its y-coordinate.

1. The given point is P(−7, −2), so x = −7 and y = −2.

2. Distance from the y-axis is measured along the horizontal direction, so it depends only on the x-coordinate.

3. Distance from the y-axis = |x| = |−7| = 7 units.

Dropping a perpendicular from P(−7, −2) to the y-axis lands at Q(0, −2); the horizontal segment PQ spans from x = −7 to x = 0, a length of 7 units, confirming the result. This is a different quantity from the distance of P from the x-axis, which is |−2| = 2 units, and from the straight-line distance of P from the origin, which is √((−7)2 + (−2)2) = √53 units — neither of those matches the axis distance asked here.

Hence, the distance of the point (−7, −2) from the y-axis is 7 units.