Question

jonathan took a scuba diving vacation last summer. the table shows his elevations at three different times on one of his dives.

time	elevation (m)
8:15 a.m.	-5
8:30 a.m.	-20

at what time was jonathan’s elevation the lowest?

options: 8:00 a.m., 8:15 a.m., 8:30 a.m.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall negative number comparison

Negative numbers with larger magnitude (more negative) are smaller. So, compare \(1\), \(-5\), \(-20\).

Step2: Compare the values

\(1\) is positive, \(-5\) is negative (greater than \(-20\)), \(-20\) is the most negative (smallest). The time for \(-20\) is 8:30 A.M.

Answer:

8:30 A.M.