The top deck of a boat is 9 feet above the surface of a lake, while the bottom of the boat is 24 feet below the surface of the lake. What is the vertical distance between the top deck and the bottom of the boat?

a

step-by-step explanation:

the answer is a

b

step-by-step explanation:

the equation of a line in point- slope form is

y - b = m(x - a)

where m is the slope and (a, b) a point on the line

calculate m using the slope formula

m = (y₂ - y₁ ) / (x₂ - x₁ )

with (x₁, y₁ ) = (0, 4) and (x₂, y₂ ) = (3, - 5) ← 2 points on the line

m = = = - 3

with m = - 3 and (a, b) = (3, - 5), then

y - (- 5) = - 3(x - 3), that is

y + 5 = - 3(x - 3) → b