A cab driver drove west 2.4 miles. He then drove 6.83 miles east. How far and in which direction did he end up from his starting point? Use - (negative) to indicate west and + (positive) to indicate east.

Question

+9.23
-9.23
-4.43
+4.43

Answer 1

To determine the cab driver's final position relative to the starting point, we can set up an equation using the westward direction as negative and the eastward direction as positive.

1. The cab driver first drove west 2.4 miles: \[ -2.4 \text{ miles} \]

2. Then he drove east 6.83 miles: \[ +6.83 \text{ miles} \]

Now, we can add these two distances together to find the final position: \[ \text{Final position} = -2.4 + 6.83 \] \[ = 6.83 - 2.4 \] \[ = 4.43 \text{ miles} \]

Since the result is positive, this means the cab driver ended up 4.43 miles to the east of his starting point.

Thus, the answer is: \[ +4.43 \]