Question

many of the deepest places on earth are still unexplored. however, a group of scientists recently developed a new submarine. the scientists are planning to use the submarine to explore the three deepest parts of the ocean, which are shown in the table.

location	elevation (m)
mariana trench	-11,033
philippine trench	-10,540

which of the three locations is the deepest?

tonga trench \t mariana trench \t philippine trench

Explanation:

Step1: Recall how negative numbers work for depth (more negative means deeper, since depth is below sea level, so a more negative elevation is a greater depth).

We have the elevations: Tonga Trench: \(-10,882\) m, Mariana Trench: \(-11,033\) m, Philippine Trench: \(-10,540\) m.

Step2: Compare the three negative numbers.

To compare negative numbers, the one with the larger magnitude (absolute value) is smaller (more negative). Let's find the absolute values: \(|-10,882| = 10,882\), \(|-11,033| = 11,033\), \(|-10,540| = 10,540\). Since \(11,033>10,882>10,540\), then \(-11,033 < -10,882 < -10,540\). So the most negative (smallest) elevation is \(-11,033\) m, which is the Mariana Trench.

Answer:

Mariana Trench