Question

Denver, Colorado is called 'The Mile High City' because its elevation is 5280 feet above sea level. Someone tells you that the elevation of Death Valley, California is 282 feet. Hint: Sea level is approximately 0 feet.

a. Is Death Valley located above or below sea level? Explain.
A) Above sea level
B) Below sea level
C) At sea level
D) None of the above

b. How many feet higher is Denver than Death Valley?
A) 5000 feet
B) 500 feet
C) 5550 feet
D) 282 feet

Answer 1

Death Valley is above sea level because its elevation is 282 feet, and sea level is 0 feet. Denver is approximately 5000 feet higher than Death Valley.

Step-by-step explanation:

Denver, Colorado is known as 'The Mile High City' because its elevation is 5280 feet above sea level. In contrast, Death Valley, California has an elevation of 282 feet. Since the reference point for elevation is sea level, which is defined as 0 feet, we can deduce the relative positions of these two locations.

a. Death Valley is located above sea level because its elevation is 282 feet, which is greater than the sea level elevation of 0 feet.

b. To calculate how many feet higher Denver is than Death Valley, subtract the elevation of Death Valley from the elevation of Denver:

1. Denver's elevation: 5280 feet
2. Death Valley's elevation: 282 feet
3. Difference in elevation (Denver - Death Valley): 5280 feet - 282 feet = 4998 feet, which rounds up to 5000 feet if we are considering the options provided.

Therefore, the answer to part b is A) 5000 feet, which is the approximation of the exact difference between the elevations of Denver and Death Valley.