A hiker is climbing down a valley. He stops for a water break 4 times. Between each break, he descends 15 meters. How many meters did he descend?

Ju Chan answered the question by writing the following:

4(−15) meters = −60 meters.

Which word in the problem indicates that a negative number should be used?

stops

1 answer

The word in the problem that indicates a negative number should be used is "descend." Descending implies going down, which can be represented by a negative value in terms of elevation or distance.