Question

A man is hiking in Death Valley. He starts at an elevation of 65 feet above sea level and descends to an elevation 30 feet below sea level. How far did the hiker travel?

Answer 1

Answer: It is 95 feet

Answer 2

Well lets think of this as a number line.

And 0 is equal to the sea level.

And anything above the sea level is a positive number and anything below it is a negative number.

So our starting place is 65 feet above sea level.

And we know that he hikes 30 feet below sea level.

So he hikes down 65 feet (reaches sea level) & continues another 30 feet

So we have to add.

30 + 65 = 95

And the question is asking how many feet the hiker traveled.

Answer: The hiker traveled 95 feet.

Good Luck! :)