Mandy is going scalloping. Her current elevation is 5 feet above sea level. She must dive 8 feet below sea level to scallop. Which inequality compares the distance between 5 feet above sea level and 8 feet below sea level?(1 point) Responses 5 > –8 5 > –8 -8 > 5 -8 > 5 8 > –5 8 > –5 –5 > –8

1 answer

To compare the distances, we first understand that Mandy is currently at 5 feet above sea level (which we can think of as +5) and needs to dive to 8 feet below sea level (which we think of as -8).

Now we can calculate the distance between these two points:

  1. The distance from 5 to 0 is 5 feet (since she is at +5).
  2. The distance from 0 to -8 is 8 feet (since she needs to go to -8).

To find the total distance between +5 and -8, we can consider the straight distance on a number line:

Distance = |5 - (-8)| = |5 + 8| = |13| = 13 feet.

Now we can set up the inequality based on the distances being compared. In this context, we want to compare the positions +5 and -8:

-5 > -8 is true because -5 is greater than -8.

The correct inequality that compares the two points is:

-8 < 5, or equivalently, 5 > -8.

The answer option that matches this is:

5 > -8.