Billy was standing on a diving board that was 4 feet above the water. He dove into the pool which was 8 feet deep and touched the bottom. Which statement accurately describes this situation?

A.
If 0 represents the height of the diving board, then +4 represents the water level and –8 represents the bottom of the pool.

B.
If +4 represents the height of the diving board, then 0 represents the water level and –8 represents the bottom of the pool.

C.
If 0 represents the height of the diving board, then 4 represents the water level and 8 represents the bottom of the pool.

D.
If +8 represents the height of the diving board, then 0 represents the water level and –4 represents the bottom of the pool.

1 answer

To analyze the situation accurately:

  • The diving board is 4 feet above the water, meaning we designate the level of the diving board as +4 feet.
  • The water level itself, by default in this context, would be considered as 0 feet.
  • The bottom of the pool is 8 feet deep, which would be represented as -8 feet (8 feet below the water level).

Now we can evaluate the provided statements:

A. If 0 represents the height of the diving board, then +4 represents the water level and –8 represents the bottom of the pool.
Incorrect: This is not correct because if 0 is the diving board, the water level cannot be +4.

B. If +4 represents the height of the diving board, then 0 represents the water level and –8 represents the bottom of the pool.
Correct: This accurately describes the situation. The diving board is at +4 feet, the water level is 0 feet, and the bottom of the pool is -8 feet.

C. If 0 represents the height of the diving board, then 4 represents the water level and 8 represents the bottom of the pool.
Incorrect: This is incorrect because it does not align with the heights given in the problem.

D. If +8 represents the height of the diving board, then 0 represents the water level and –4 represents the bottom of the pool.
Incorrect: This is also incorrect as 8 feet cannot represent the diving board, which is at +4 feet.

Based on this analysis, the accurate statement describing the situation is:

B. If +4 represents the height of the diving board, then 0 represents the water level and –8 represents the bottom of the pool.