The expression that correctly represents the distance between the friends is 15 + |−6| = 21 steps.
The total steps that both Joy and Shaunte took were:
= 15 + 6
= 21 steps
However, Joy walked forward so this is going to be a positive number.
Shaunte walked backwards on the other hand which is a negative number.
However, adding both numbers would lead to a lower number of steps than was actually taken so it is best to use the absolute value of Joy's steps. This gives:
15 + |-6| = 21 steps
Find out more on absolute value at https://brainly.com/question/1301718.
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