Question

A scuba diver dove 40 feet below the surface. He swam up 12 feet to see a unique fish. He followed the fish down 8 feet. Then he followed the fish up 27 feet. How far below the surface is the diver now?

Answer 1

Answer: 9 feet below the surface.

Explanation:

The scuba diver starts 40 ft below the surface. We can represent the position of the scuba diver as:

Position = -40ft

Where the negative sign is because it is below the surface of the water, so

"He swam up 12 feet to see a unique fish."

Now we need to add 12ft

Then his new position is:

Position = -40ft + 12 ft = -28ft

"He followed the fish down 8 feet.

Now we need to subtract 8ft

His new position is:

Position = -28ft - 8 ft = -36 ft

"Then he followed the fish up 27 feet."

Now we add another 27 ft.

The final position will be:

Position = -36ft + 27ft = -9ft

Then the final position of the scuba diver is -9ft, that means that he is 9 feet below the surface.