Answer:
37 units
Step-by-step explanation:
[tex]\boxed{distance = \sqrt{(x2 - x1)^{2} + (y2 - y1)^{2} }}[/tex]
Using the distance formula above,
distance between (15, -17) and (-20, -5)
[tex] = \sqrt{[15 - ( - 20)]^{2} + [ - 17 - ( - 5)] {}^{2} } \\ = \sqrt{(15 + 20)^{2} + ( - 17 + 5)^{2} } \\ = \sqrt{35 ^{2} + ( - 12) {}^{2} } \\ = \sqrt{1225 + 144} \\ = \sqrt{1369} \\ = 37 \: units[/tex]