A seagull is flying at a height of 10 feet above ocean. The seagull dives into the water to catch a fish that is at a depth of 6 feet. What is the change in elevation of the seagull?

The change in elevation of the seagull is -16 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Displacement

The displacement, unlike distance, considers the direction of the lengths occurring in the systems.

To solve the problem, we need to set a zero-level reference. Let's assume the sea level as zero height, any position above this reference as positive, and any position below this reference as negative.

The seagull is flying at a height of 10 ft above the ocean. Thus, its position is positive +10 feet.

The seagull then dives into the water to catch a fish at a depth of 6 feet. This position is negative: -6 ft.

The change in elevation is found by subtracting the final elevation and the initial elevation:

change = -6 ft - 10 ft = -16 ft

The change in elevation of the seagull is -16 ft