Question

Erica is hiking down a mountain. She descends at a rate of 36 feet per hour. She began the descent at 10 a.m. and finished at 6 p.m. What was her change in elevation after two hours?

A. -72 feet
B. -8 feet
C. 72 feet
D. 8 feet

Answer 1

Erica descends the mountain at a rate of 36 feet per hour and after two hours, her change in elevation is -72 feet. Since it's a descent, the change is negative, corresponding to a decrease in elevation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question concerns a hiker named Erica who is descending a mountain at a consistent rate. To calculate Erica's change in elevation after two hours, you would multiply the rate of descent by the time. Since Erica descends at a rate of 36 feet per hour, after two hours her change in elevation would be 36 feet/hour * 2 hours = 72 feet.

It is important to note that since Erica is descending, the change in elevation would be a decrease, so the answer should be a negative value, indicating a loss of elevation. Therefore, the correct answer is -72 feet, which is option A.