Question

A piece of driftwood floats on the surface of the ocean. Due to the wave motion, its height rises and falls relative to the height of the water with no waves. The maximum height of the driftwood is 2 ft, relative to the surface, and its minimum height is −1.5 feet.
A storm surge causes the height of the waves to be multiplied by 4.
What is the minimum height of the driftwood in the storm? __________ ft.
What is the distance between the maximum and minimum heights of the driftwood during the storm? ______________ ft.

Answer 1

Assuming that both the max and min heights of the wave are multiplied by 4, the new max height is 2*4 =8ft, and the min height is -1.5*4 =-6ft.

What is the minimum height of the driftwood in the storm? -6ft.
What is the distance between the maximum and minimum heights of the driftwood during the storm? 8ft-(-6ft)=14 ft.