Question

in which story could you use the quotient -24 ÷ 3 to answer the question?
nora walks to a valley to see wildflowers. the trail starts at sea level and ends at the bottom of the valley, 24 feet lower. it takes her 3 minutes to get there. on average, how much does her elevation change each minute?
nora walks up a hill to see wildflowers. the trail starts at sea level and ends at the top of the hill, 24 feet higher. it takes her 3 minutes to get there. on average, how much does her elevation change each minute?

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the first - story

The starting elevation is sea - level (0 feet), and the ending elevation is 24 feet lower, so the change in elevation is - 24 feet. The time taken is 3 minutes. To find the average change in elevation per minute, we use the formula $\text{Average change}=\frac{\text{Total change}}{\text{Time}}$, which is $\frac{-24}{3}$.

Step2: Analyze the second - story

The starting elevation is sea - level (0 feet), and the ending elevation is 24 feet higher, so the change in elevation is + 24 feet. The time taken is 3 minutes. To find the average change in elevation per minute, we use the formula $\text{Average change}=\frac{\text{Total change}}{\text{Time}}$, which is $\frac{24}{3}$.

Answer:

The first story (Nora walks to a valley to see wildflowers. The trail starts at sea level and ends at the bottom of the valley, 24 feet lower. It takes her 3 minutes to get there. On average, how much does her elevation change each minute?)