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?

Question

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

Answer 1

To accurately describe the heights in this situation:

• The diving board is 4 feet above the water, so if we take the water level as 0, the diving board would be +4.
• The pool is 8 feet deep, so the bottom of the pool is 8 feet below the water level (0), which means it would be represented as -8.

Given this information, the correct statement 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.