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A seagull is flying at a height of 10 feet above ocean. The seagull dives into the water to catch a fish that is at a depth of 6 feet. What is the change in elevation of the seagull?

User Flywire
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Answer:

The change in elevation of the seagull is -16 ft

Explanation:

Displacement

The displacement, unlike distance, considers the direction of the lengths occurring in the systems.

To solve the problem, we need to set a zero-level reference. Let's assume the sea level as zero height, any position above this reference as positive, and any position below this reference as negative.

The seagull is flying at a height of 10 ft above the ocean. Thus, its position is positive +10 feet.

The seagull then dives into the water to catch a fish at a depth of 6 feet. This position is negative: -6 ft.

The change in elevation is found by subtracting the final elevation and the initial elevation:

change = -6 ft - 10 ft = -16 ft

The change in elevation of the seagull is -16 ft

User Cameron Sparr
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