Final answer:
The difference in elevation between the bottom of the canyon and the bird's nest is 819 9/10 feet. This is found by converting the elevations to improper fractions with a common denominator and summing their absolute values.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the elevation difference between the bottom of the canyon and the bird's nest, you calculate the total distance the bird flies from below sea level to above sea level. The canyon's bottom is 53 9/10 feet below sea level, and we convert this to an improper fraction for easier calculation: 53 9/10 = 539/10 = 53 + 9/10 = 530/10 + 9/10 = 539/10 feet. The bird's nest is 766 2/5 feet above sea level, which also needs to be an improper fraction: 766 2/5 = 3830/5.
Now, sum the absolute values of these two elevations to find the total elevation difference: 539/10 + 3830/5. Since these fractions have different denominators, convert them to have a common denominator, which in this case would be 10: 3830/5 = 3830 x 2/10 = 7660/10.
Now we can add them together: 539/10 + 7660/10 = 8199/10 feet. Finally, convert this back to a mixed number for the total elevation difference: 8199/10 = 819 9/10 feet.