The manager of a football team is keeping track of the yards gained or lost on each play of a football game. On the first play, the team gained 4 yards. On the second play, the team lost 33 yards. On the third play, the team gained 11 yards.

Question

What was the position of the ball relative to its starting point after the first three plays of the game?

Answer 1

After the first play, the team gained 4 yards, so the position of the ball relative to its starting point would be at +4 yards.

After the second play, the team lost 33 yards. So, the position of the ball relative to its starting point would be at +4 yards - 33 yards = -29 yards.

After the third play, the team gained 11 yards. So, the position of the ball relative to its starting point would be at -29 yards + 11 yards = -18 yards.

Therefore, after the first three plays of the game, the position of the ball relative to its starting point is at -18 yards.