A hot air balloon leaves the ground and rises to an elevation of 1,100 ft. During the next 30 minutes it descends 500 feet, rises 950 feet, descends 375 feet, and finally passes over a school. What is the elevation of the balloon when it passes over the school?

Question

1,025
1,100
1,175
1,550

Answer 1

To find the elevation of the balloon when it passes over the school, we need to calculate the net change in elevation during the entire journey.

Initially, the balloon rises to an elevation of 1,100 ft.

Then, it descends 500 ft, which results in a decrease in elevation.

Next, it rises 950 ft, which results in an increase in elevation.

Then, it descends 375 ft, which again results in a decrease in elevation.

Since we only want to find the elevation when the balloon passes over the school, we don't need to consider the initial rise to 1,100 ft.

So, the net change in elevation is -500 + 950 - 375 = 75 ft.

Therefore, the elevation of the balloon when it passes over the school is 1,100 ft + 75 ft = 1,175 ft.

Hence, the answer is 1,175.