A mountain climber starts a climb at an elevation of 453 feet above sea level. At his first rest stop he has climbed 162 feet, and by his second rest stop he has climbed another 207 feet. It's getting late in the day, so the climber starts his way down. If the climber descends 285 feet, how much does he need to ascend or descend to return to the original starting point?
Responses
A ascend 84 feetascend 84 feet
B ascend 78 feetascend 78 feet
C descend 84 feetdescend 84 feet
D descend 78 feet
Let's work step by step to figure out where the climber is in relation to his starting point after all the movements he's made.
1. Starting elevation: 453 feet above sea level.
2. After first rest stop (climbing 162 feet): 453 + 162 = 615 feet above sea level.
3. After second rest stop (climbing another 207 feet): 615 + 207 = 822 feet above sea level.
4. After descending 285 feet: 822 - 285 = 537 feet above sea level.
Now the climber is at 537 feet above sea level, and needs to get back to his starting elevation of 453 feet above sea level.
To find out how much he needs to ascend or descend, we subtract the current elevation from the starting elevation:
453 - 537 = -84
Since the result is negative, it means the climber needs to descend 84 feet to return to his original starting point.
Therefore, the answer is:
C) descend 84 feet.