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.

Answer 1

To find out how far the submarine traveled, we need to calculate the difference in its depth from the initial position to the final position.

The submarine started at a depth of 106.3 feet below sea level and ended at a depth of 481.2 feet below sea level.

To determine how far the submarine traveled, we can use the following calculation:

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

Here, the final depth is 481.2 feet and the initial depth is 106.3 feet. We must convert these values into the same format to find the change.

So we subtract the initial depth from the final depth, paying attention to the fact that both values are negative in the context of sea level:

\[
\text{Distance traveled} = 481.2 - 106.3
\]

Calculating this gives:

\[
\text{Distance traveled} = 481.2 - 106.3 = 374.9
\]

Thus, the submarine traveled **374.9 feet** deeper below sea level.

The final answer is:

\[
\boxed{374.9}
\]