Question

One scuba diver's elevation changed by -155/8 feet every minute. The first diver's elevation change was 1/1/4 times as fast as the elevation of a second diver. How much did the second diver's elevation change every minute?

Answer 1

To find the elevation change of the second diver, divide the first diver's rate of -155/8 feet per minute by 1 1/4. The result is that the second diver's elevation changed by -31/2 feet every minute.

Step-by-step explanation:

The elevation change of the first scuba diver was -155/8 feet per minute. To find the elevation change rate of the second diver, we must divide the first diver's rate by 1 1/4 (or 5/4 when converted to an improper fraction) since the first diver's elevation change rate was 1 1/4 times as fast as that of the second diver.

Therefore, the elevation change rate of the second diver is:

-155/8 feet per minute ÷ 5/4 = -155/8 × 4/5 = -31/2 (or -15.5) feet per minute.

The second diver's elevation changed by -31/2 feet every minute.