To find the distance between the elevations of the bridge and the point where the rock sinks below the water's surface, we can visualize the situation as follows:
- Elevation of the bridge: The bridge is 124 feet above the river's surface, so we can represent this as +124 feet.
- Depth of the rock below the water: The rock sinks 81 feet below the water's surface. Since the water's surface is at 0 feet, sinking below it means we go into negative elevation. Therefore, the depth below the water is represented as -81 feet.
Now, to find the distance between these two points, we can calculate it as follows:
- Bridge elevation: +124 feet (above the river surface)
- Rock depth: -81 feet (below the water's surface)
The total difference in elevation between the bridge and the rock is calculated by:
\[ \text{Distance} = \text{Elevation of bridge} - \text{Depth of rock} \] \[ \text{Distance} = 124 - (-81) = 124 + 81 = 205 \text{ feet} \]
Thus, the distance between the elevations is 205 feet.
So the correct response is 205 feet.