Read this word problem. A guppy was swimming 8 feet below the surface of the river. It swam down 6 more feet to escape a large, hungry fish. What is the position of the guppy now relative to the surface? To solve the problem, Jenna subtracted 8 - 6 and came up with an answer of 2 feet. Is Jenna correct? Why or why not? Choices: (A)Yes, Jenna is correct. (B)No. The answer should have been -2 feet, not 2 feet, because the guppy is below the surface. (C)No. Jenna should have subtracted -8 - 6 because the guppy started 8 feet below the surface and swam down 6 more feet.

Question

Read this word problem.   A guppy was swimming 8 feet below the surface of the river. It swam down 6 more feet to escape a large, hungry fish. What is the position of the guppy now relative to the surface?  To solve the problem, Jenna subtracted 8 - 6 and came up with an answer of 2 feet. Is Jenna correct? Why or why not?    Choices: (A)Yes, Jenna is correct. (B)No. The answer should have been -2 feet, not 2 feet, because the guppy is below the surface. (C)No. Jenna should have subtracted -8 - 6 because the guppy started 8 feet below the surface and swam down 6 more feet.

Bytelearn · Accepted Answer

Start at -8 feet: The guppy starts 8 feet below the surface, so we start with -8 feet.Swim down 6 feet: The guppy swims down 6 more feet, so we need to add -6 feet to the initial -8 feet.Calculate new position: Calculating the new position: -8 + (-6) = -14 feet.Jenna's incorrect calculation: Jenna's calculation of 8 - 6 = 2 feet is incorrect because she didn't account for the direction of the guppy's movement, which is further down.

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