Question

Two grade 7 students, Monique and Matt, both solved the following math problem.

If the temperature drops from 7 degrees F to -17 degrees F, by how much did the temperature decrease?
The two students came up with different answers. Monique said the answer is 24 degrees F, and Matt said the answer is 10 degrees F.
Who is correct?
Explain your answer.

A. Monique is correct because the temperature decreased by 24 degrees.
B. Matt is correct because the temperature decreased by 10 degrees.
C. Neither is correct; the temperature decreased by 34 degrees.
D. Both Monique and Matt are correct; the temperature decreased by 24 degrees.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. Matt is correct because the temperature decreased by 10 degrees F.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is B. Matt is correct because the temperature decreased by 10 degrees F.

To find the difference in temperature, we subtract the initial temperature from the final temperature. In this case, the initial temperature is 7 degrees F and the final temperature is -17 degrees F.

So, the temperature decrease is -17 - 7 = -24 degrees F. However, we are asked for the absolute value of the temperature decrease, so we take the absolute value of -24, which is 24 degrees F. Therefore, Monique's answer is incorrect and Matt's answer is correct.