Owen is fishing from a dock. He starts with the bait 2 feet below the surface of the water. He reels out the bait 19 feet, then reels it back in 7 feet. What is the final position of the bait relative to the surface of the water?

-2 + (-19) + 7 = ?

Assuming reeling out is horizontal, 19-7 =12 feet out and 2 feet deep.

If just depth, 19 + 2 - 7 = ?

Owen is fishing from a dock. He starts with the bait 2 feet below the surface of the water. He reels out the bait 19 feet, then reels it back in 7 feet. What is the final position of the bait relative to the surface of the water?

10

To determine the final position of the bait relative to the surface of the water, we have to consider the initial position of the bait, the distance it was reeled out, and the distance it was reeled back in.

In this case, Owen starts with the bait 2 feet below the surface of the water. Then, he reels out the bait 19 feet, which means the bait is now 19 - 2 = 17 feet below the surface.

Next, Owen reels the bait back in by 7 feet, which brings the bait 7 feet closer to the surface. Therefore, the final position of the bait relative to the surface of the water is 17 - 7 = 10 feet below the surface.

Therefore, the final position of the bait relative to the surface of the water is 10 feet below the surface.