Question

A diver is diving from a platform 10 meters above the water. The diver reaches the depth of 4 meters. What is the change in elevation of the diver?

Answer 1

To calculate the change in elevation of the diver, we start with the initial position of the diver at the platform, which is 10 meters above the water. When the diver reaches a depth of 4 meters below the surface of the water, we will consider the water surface to be at 0 meters elevation.

The change in elevation can be calculated as follows:

1. The initial elevation is +10 meters (above the water surface).
2. The final elevation is -4 meters (below the water surface).

To find the change in elevation:

\[
\text{Change in elevation} = \text{Final elevation} - \text{Initial elevation} = -4 - 10 = -14 \text{ meters}
\]

Thus, the change in elevation of the diver is -14 meters. This indicates a total descent of 14 meters from the platform's elevation to the diver's depth below the water surface.