What is the vertical distance between Dean and Jeff

Question

Dean Baldus enjoys scuba diving. He dives to 30 ft below the surface of a lake. His parent Jeff Balius, dives to 37 ft below the surface, but then ascends 18 ft. Find the vertical distance between Dean and Jeff.

Answer 1

It sounds like you want the difference between -30 and -37+18. The second number, we can simplify to -19. Can you tell the distance between -19 and -30?

Answer 2

One person is 30 ft down.

 

The other goes down 37 then up 18... 37-18 = 19 ft down

 

30-19 = 11 ft vertical distance between the divers