What does the triangle in front of a variable mean and how is it used?

Suppose the radius of a circle is 16. what issuppose the radius of a circle is 16. what is its circumference its circumference

Use the distance formula to find the distance between (-3,5) and (3,1)

Me with this assignment ! i only partially understand, so explain. also it's a work sample. at the championship bike race, steve and paula were fighting for first place. steve was 175 feet ahead of paula and had only 300 feet left to go. he was very tired and was going only 9 feet per second. paula was desperate to catch up and was going 15 feet per second. who won the bike race and by how far did she/he win?