The water level of a river is below normal levels. Its water level is at 1 1/2 meters below sea level. During the summer, the river drops another 2 1/3 meters below sea level. What is the water level at the end of summer? Remember, the elevation is below sea level. Account for this in your answer.(1 point)

Answer 1

To find the total water level of the river at the end of summer, we need to add the two depths below sea level together.

1. The initial water level is \(1 \frac{1}{2}\) meters below sea level, which can be converted to an improper fraction:

\[ 1 \frac{1}{2} = \frac{3}{2} \text{ meters} \]

2. The additional drop in water level during the summer is \(2 \frac{1}{3}\) meters below sea level, which can also be converted to an improper fraction:

\[ 2 \frac{1}{3} = \frac{7}{3} \text{ meters} \]

3. Now, we need to add these two fractions. To do this, we will first find a common denominator. The least common multiple of 2 and 3 is 6.

Convert \(\frac{3}{2}\) and \(\frac{7}{3}\) to have a denominator of 6:

\[ \frac{3}{2} = \frac{3 \times 3}{2 \times 3} = \frac{9}{6} \]

\[ \frac{7}{3} = \frac{7 \times 2}{3 \times 2} = \frac{14}{6} \]

4. Now, we can add the two fractions:

\[ \frac{9}{6} + \frac{14}{6} = \frac{9 + 14}{6} = \frac{23}{6} \]

5. This means the water level at the end of summer is \(\frac{23}{6}\) meters below sea level. To express this as a mixed number:

\[ \frac{23}{6} = 3 \frac{5}{6} \]

Thus, the water level at the end of summer is

\[ 3 \frac{5}{6} \text{ meters below sea level.} \]

To summarize, the final answer is:

3 5/6 meters below sea level.