a mountain climber starts a climb at an elevation of 380ft above sea level. At his first rest stop he has climed 182ft. By his second rest stop he has climed another 208ft. It is getting late in the day, so the climber starts his way down the mountain. If the climber descends 235ft, how much does he need to descend to return to his original starting point?
To find out how much the climber needs to descend to return to his original starting point, we can subtract the total elevation he has climbed (182ft + 208ft = <<182+208=390>>390ft) from his starting elevation (380ft).
380ft - 390ft = -10ft
Since the elevation is given as negative, the climber needs to descend 10ft to return to his original starting point.