Question

A commercial jetliner hits an air pocket and drops 264 feet. After climbing 151 ​feet, it drops another 103 feet. What is its overall vertical​ change?

Answer 1

If we take the drops as negatives, and the climbs as positives (the answer will be the absolute value of these) we get:

-221 +174 -156.

When you add these together, you get -203. So the overall vertical change is the absolute value of this, or 203 ft.