Question

Question

A hot air balloon is flying at an altitude of 4000 feet. It reduces its altitude by 3% in order to change direction. After it changes direction, it increases its altitude by 500 feet.

What is the final altitude of the hot air balloon?

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feet

Answer 1

To find the final altitude of the hot air balloon, we can break the problem down into two steps:

1. Calculate the new altitude after the balloon reduces its altitude by 3%.
2. Increase this new altitude by 500 feet.

Step 1: Calculate the altitude after a 3% reduction.

\[ \text{Reduction} = \text{Initial Altitude} \times \text{Percentage Reduction} \] \[ \text{Reduction} = 4000 \text{ feet} \times 0.03 = 120 \text{ feet} \]

Now, subtract the reduction from the initial altitude:

\[ \text{New Altitude} = \text{Initial Altitude} - \text{Reduction} \] \[ \text{New Altitude} = 4000 \text{ feet} - 120 \text{ feet} = 3880 \text{ feet} \]

Step 2: Increase the altitude by 500 feet.

\[ \text{Final Altitude} = \text{New Altitude} + 500 \text{ feet} \] \[ \text{Final Altitude} = 3880 \text{ feet} + 500 \text{ feet} = 4380 \text{ feet} \]

Therefore, the final altitude of the hot air balloon is:

\[ \boxed{4380} \text{ feet} \]