??? A. |–4.8| > |2.5| B. |–4.8| < |2.5| C. –4.8 > 2.5 D. |–4.8| < 2.5

Ruben digs a hole at the beach that is 4.8 feet deep. Brian uses the sand Ruben digs up to build a sand castle that is 2.5 feet tall.
Which statement correctly compares the depth of Ruben’s hole and height of Brian’s castle?

1 Answer
Jun 1, 2018

A.

Explanation:

Given: A hole is dug 4.8 feet deep, a sand castle is built up 2.5 ft tall.

Assume that ground level = 0. Digging is going below ground level, so that would give a negative value. Building above ground level would be positive.

Since we want to compare the different lengths/distances, we make the negative value have an absolute value.

digging: #|-4.8|# feet; building: #2.5# feet

Ways to comparing the depth and height:

#|-4.8| > 2.5; " or " |-4.8| > |2.5|#

A.