Question: What is the length of $UV$?
1. **State the problem:** We need to find the length of the segment $UV$ on a number line where $U$ is at $38$ and $V$ is at $42$.
2. **Formula used:** The length between two points on a number line is given by the absolute difference of their coordinates: $$\text{Length} = |x_2 - x_1|$$
3. **Apply the formula:** Here, $x_1 = 38$ and $x_2 = 42$, so
$$\text{Length} = |42 - 38|$$
4. **Calculate:**
$$\text{Length} = |4| = 4$$
5. **Interpretation:** The length of segment $UV$ is $4$ units on the number line.
**Final answer:** The length of $UV$ is $4$.