Question

a plane picks up stranded tourists in a boat that is 17.3 meters below sea level. the plane increases its altitude by 74.7 meters. what is the planes cruising altitude?

Explanation:

Step1: Define initial altitude

The boat is 17.3 meters below sea level, so the plane's initial altitude (relative to sea level) is -17.3 meters (negative because it's below sea level).

Step2: Calculate cruising altitude

The plane increases its altitude by 74.7 meters. So we add this increase to the initial altitude: $-17.3 + 74.7$.
Calculating the sum: $74.7 - 17.3 = 57.4$ meters.

Answer:

57.4 meters