Question

A mountain climber starts a climb at an elevation of 380 ft. above sea level. At his first rest stop he has climbed 182 ft., and by his second rest stop he has climbed another 208 ft. It is getting late in the day, so the climber starts his way down the mountain. If the climber descends 235 ft, how much does he need to descend to return to his original starting point

Answer 1

The mountain climber starts at an elevation of 380 ft. He climbs 182 ft to his first rest stop and then climbs an additional 208 ft to his second rest stop.

Let's calculate the climber's elevation at the second rest stop:

1. Starting elevation: \( 380 , \text{ft} \)
2. After climbing 182 ft: \[ 380 + 182 = 562 , \text{ft} \]
3. After climbing another 208 ft: \[ 562 + 208 = 770 , \text{ft} \]

Now, after reaching the second rest stop at 770 ft, the climber descends 235 ft:

\[ 770 - 235 = 535 , \text{ft} \]

To find out how much more he needs to descend to return to his original starting point (380 ft):

\[ 535 - 380 = 155 , \text{ft} \]

Thus, the climber needs to descend 155 ft to return to his original starting point.