16Hit1600
Advanced MathVery hardIntegers where a sum of absolute values attains its minimum

Advanced Math practice question

The function f is defined by f(x) = |x − 2| + |x + 2|. For how many integer values of x is f(x) equal to 4?

Answer: 5

For −2 ≤ x ≤ 2, |x − 2| + |x + 2| = (2 − x) + (x + 2) = 4; outside that interval the sum is larger. The integers −2, −1, 0, 1, 2 give five values.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 1
1 counts only x = 0.
If you answered 2
2 counts only the endpoints ±2.
If you answered 3
3 counts −1, 0, 1 and misses the endpoints.

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