Question

A scuba diver starts at sea level and then dives below sea level by 42 feet. The diver then ascends 18 feet and follows that by descending 7 feet. What is the diver's current depth?


67 feet below sea level


67 feet above sea level


53 feet below sea level


31 feet below sea level

Answer 1

The scuba diver started at sea level and then dived below sea level by 42 feet, so the current depth is 0 - 42 = <<0-42=-42>>-42 feet.

The diver then ascended 18 feet, so the depth is -42 + 18 = -24 feet.

Finally, the diver descended 7 feet, so the current depth is -24 - 7 = -31 feet.

Therefore, the diver's current depth is 31 feet below sea level. Answer: \boxed{31\text{ feet below sea level}}.