Algebra Students...come here and post questions or answers to others' questions.

This is how you would do it!!!  And, if you see a question you can help with, hit 'post reply' and answer!

Calculus Students...come here and post questions or answers to others' questions.

This is how you would do it!!!  And, if you see a question you can help with, hit 'post reply' and answer!

This little problem is giving me a hard time. First off, is the shape of the spotlight a pyramid or a triangle? Does it matter?
Secondly, how do we work the height of the man walking towards his shadow in there? What's given is the distance the man is initially from the wall, the distance the man is away from the wall when we want the rate of the shadow's decreasing, the man's height, and the...

I think the trick to this problem is to 1) realize that you are dealing with similar triangles and 2) label the picture with the distance the man is from the searchlight as x and the remaining distance between the light and the man as 12 - x.

 

Then, consider that the ratio exists that 2 is to x as y is to 12 (this is from similar triangles)

 

From there, I think you can finish.

It seems like if 2 is to X as Y is to 12 that the shadow is completely gone when he reaches the wall, which isn't the way it is in real life. How does that triangle form from the 2m of the man's height?

I didn't know you had this. it's very cool. -Dan Wheeler

hey i need help with my math work. the question is for a orchard with a radiue of 3 how long will it take until the orchard becomes a hide out.

1) thr cross-sectional area of the tree trunks increase by 1.5 inches per year.

2)right now the tree trunks have a circumference of 2.5 inches

3) the unit distance is 10 feet (this means the distance from (o,o) to (1,o) is 10 feet.

so...