A scuba diver starts at sea level and then dives below sea level by 42 feet. The diver then ascends 18 feet and follows that by descending 7 feet. What is the diver's current depth?

Question

Responses

31 feet below sea level

53 feet below sea level

67 feet above sea level

67 feet below sea level

Answer 1

To calculate the diver's current depth, we need to subtract the ascents from the descents.

The diver started at sea level, then descended 42 feet below sea level, which gives us -42 feet.

The diver then ascended 18 feet, so we add that to the current depth (-42 + 18 = -24 feet).

Finally, the diver descended 7 feet, so we subtract that from the current depth (-24 - 7 = -31 feet).

Therefore, the diver's current depth is 31 feet below sea level.

The correct response is: 31 feet below sea level.