During a tour of a gold mine, visitors travel down a vertical mine shaft in an elevator. The speed of the elevator can be expressed as -5 feet per second. What is the position of the elevator with respect to the surface of the earth after 10 seconds?
The speed of the elevator is given as -5 feet per second, which means it is moving downwards. Since the speed is constant, we can calculate the position of the elevator after 10 seconds by multiplying the speed by the time:
Position = Speed * Time
Position = -5 ft/s * 10 s
Position = -50 ft
Therefore, the position of the elevator with respect to the surface of the earth after 10 seconds is 50 feet below the surface.