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A roller coaster begins at 90 feet above ground level. Then it descends (goes down) 105 feet. Find the height of the coaster after the first descent.

a) 15 feet
b) 195 feet
c) -15 feet
d) -195 feet

User Mfnalex
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1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

To calculate the coaster's height after descending 105 feet from an initial height of 90 feet, subtract the descent from the initial height, which results in -15 feet, indicating the coaster is below the starting ground level.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the height of the roller coaster after the first descent, we subtract the distance it descends from its initial height above the ground level. In mathematical terms:

Initial height = 90 feet
Descent = 105 feet

Final height = Initial height - Descent
Final height = 90 feet - 105 feet
Final height = -15 feet

Since the final height is below ground level, we express this as a negative number to indicate that the roller coaster is 15 feet below the starting ground level. Therefore, the correct answer is (c) -15 feet.

User Jon Saw
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