Question

A submarine was at a depth of 106.3
feet below sea level. After 5 hours, the submarine
was at 481.2
feet below sea level. How far did the submarine travel? Express your answer
as a decimal.
The submarine traveled ____ feet

Answer 1

To find how far the submarine traveled, we need to calculate the difference in depth between the initial and final positions.

The initial depth of the submarine is:
-106.3 feet (below sea level)

The final depth of the submarine is:
-481.2 feet (below sea level)

We can calculate the distance traveled by finding the difference between the two depths:

\[
\text{Distance traveled} = \text{Final depth} - \text{Initial depth}
\]

Substituting the values:

\[
\text{Distance traveled} = -481.2 - (-106.3)
\]
\[
= -481.2 + 106.3
\]
\[
= -374.9 \text{ feet}
\]

Since we are interested in the distance traveled (a positive value), we take the absolute value:

\[
\text{Distance traveled} = 374.9 \text{ feet}
\]

Therefore, the submarine traveled **374.9 feet**.