Answer:
86 ft
Explanation:
First method: Logical thinking
Think of the position 34 ft below sea level as -34.
The position above sea level is 52.
You need to find the distance between -34 and 52.
You go from 34 ft below sea level, -34 to 0. That is 34 ft.
Then you go from sea level, 0 ft, to 52 ft above sea level. That is 52 ft.
The total is 34 ft + 52 ft = 86 ft
Answer: 86 ft
Second method: Calculate a distance in math
The distance between two points on a number line is the absolute value of the difference of their coordinates. The coordinates are -34 and 52. Subtract the numbers in either order, and take the absolute value of the difference.
|-34 - 52| = |-86| = 86
If you did it in the other order, you'd get the same answer.
|52 - (-34)| = |52 + 34| = |86| = 86
Answer: 86 ft