Question

Larry plays quarterback for the Eagles. During the team's opening football game, the Eagles have the ball 48 yards away from the goal line. On the first play, the Eagles gain 31 yards on a pass toward the goal line. On the next four plays, the Eagles lose 3, 5, 7, and 4 yards, respectively. What is the distance between the ball and the goal line after these five plays?

Answer 1

I'll define "towards the goal line" as the positive direction and "away from the goal line" as the negative direction

it starts at 48 yrds away, so I'll start at -48.
the Eagles gain 31 yards towards the goal line, so add + 31
They then lose 3, 5, 7, 4, so subtract 3, 5, 7, and 3 from the running total.
Finally, look at the final # and sign to determine where the ball is relative to the goal.