Question

Jose flies a kite 17 1/2 ft above the ground. He increases its elevation by 4 3/4 ft by letting out some string. Then he reels in the string and changes its elevation by -15.8 ft. After Jose reels in the string, what is the kite's elevation relative to the ground?

Answer 1

After Jose reels in the string, the kite's elevation relative to the ground is 6 2/5 ft.

Explanation:

To find the final elevation of the kite relative to the ground, we can start by determining the initial elevation and then adjusting it based on the given changes.

The initial elevation of the kite is 17 1/2 ft above the ground.

Next, Jose increases the elevation by 4 3/4 ft by letting out some string. We can add this increase to the initial elevation:

17 1/2 ft + 4 3/4 ft = 22 1/4 ft

Now, Jose reels in the string and changes the elevation by -15.8 ft. Since this is a decrease in elevation, we subtract it from the previous result:

22 1/4 ft - 15.8 ft = 6 2/5 ft

= 6 2/5ft.