Question

Clara was swimming along the bottom of her backyard pool at a depth of 8 feet.She then pushed herself off the ground and rose 4 feet. What is Clara's current position with respect to the pool's surface?
To solve the problem, Jack added – 8 and 4, and came up with an answer of 12 feet. Is Jack correct? Why or why not?

• A. Yes, Jack is correct.
• B. No, Jack's answer is incorrect. The correct answer is -4 feet, and not 12 feet. As Clara is submerged, her location with respect to the pool's surface should be negative.
• C. No, it's not true. Since the absolute values of -8 and 4 add up to 12, the correct answer is -12 feet. As the sign of the number with the greater absolute value is negative, the answer must be negative.

Answer 1

The correct option is B No, Jack's answer is incorrect. The correct answer is -4 feet, and not 12 feet. As Clara is submerged, her location with respect to the pool's surface should be negative.

Clara was swimming at a depth of 8 feet.
With respect to the pool's surface, the starting point was -8 feet.
She ascended four feet.
Now, we can write an expression to describe the situation. She has risen, so Jack must add.

-8 + 4 = -4

So,Jack's answer is incorrect.The correct answer was -4 feet, not 12 feet. She is submerged, so her location in relation to the pool's surface is negative.