I have two questions

The temperature changed from 7ºF at 6 P.M. to -5ºF at midnight. What was the difference between the high and low temperatures? What was the average change in temperature per hour? The difference between the temperatures is 12 because 7 - (-5) = 7 + 5 = 12. What I need help with is the average change in temperature per hour, I don't understand what it's asking for or how to do it, is it asking for the mean between the temperatures ? Please show work and explain.

Second question: At 11,560 feet above sea level, Climax, Colorado, is the highest town in the United States. The lowest is Calipatria, California, at 185 feet below sea level. How much closer to sea level is the town that is closer? How do I show which is closer ? I forgot how to show absolute value if that's what it's asking for. Thanks~

rate of change is °/hr

You have 12° in 6 hrs
Thus the average rate of change is -12°/6hr = -2°/hr

the distance from sea level is just the absolute value of the elevation. That is,
+500 ft and -500 ft are both just 500 ft from sea lavel. So,
Climax: |11560| = 11560
Calipatria: |-185| = 185

Clearly, Calipatria is much closer to sea level than Climax. How much closer? That's the difference in the two distances:

11560-185 = 11375

So, while Climax is 11745 ft higher than Calipatria, it is only 11375 ft closer to sea level.

For the first question, the average change in temperature per hour refers to how much the temperature changes on average for each hour. To find this, we need to calculate the total temperature change and divide it by the number of hours.

In this case, the temperature changed from 7ºF to -5ºF, which is a difference of 7 - (-5) = 7 + 5 = 12 degrees Fahrenheit. The duration of this temperature change is from 6 P.M. to midnight, which is a total of 6 hours.

To find the average change per hour, we divide the total temperature change by the number of hours:
Average change per hour = Total temperature change / Number of hours

In this case, the average change per hour would be:
Average change per hour = 12ºF / 6 hours = 2ºF per hour

So, the average change in temperature per hour is 2ºF.

For the second question, to determine which town is closer to sea level, we need to calculate the difference in altitude between the two towns.

Climax, Colorado, is located at 11,560 feet above sea level, while Calipatria, California, is 185 feet below sea level. The key here is to find the difference between the two altitudes.

To calculate the difference, we take the absolute value of the subtraction of the two altitudes:
Difference = |11,560 - (-185)| = |11,560 + 185| = |11,745| = 11,745 feet

The absolute value is used to ensure that we only get the magnitude of the difference, regardless of whether it is a positive or negative value.

Therefore, Climax, Colorado, is 11,745 feet closer to sea level compared to Calipatria, California.