A bird was sitting on a branch 1½ feet above the surface of a lake. The bird saw a fish and dove 2¼ feet straight down to catch it. Explain how you would use the number line below to find the depth, in feet, of where the birth caught the fish

Since the bird is above the surface we assume its value as positive
1.5ft
and since the fish is below the surface we assume its value as negative
-2.25ft
Now, using the number line: