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This Maths Question Is Doing My Head In!


dann2707

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Hey. Got this last question that's bugging the hella out of me. If anyone who's good at maths can throw me in the right direction I would seriously appreciate it. :)

I've managed part i)

ii) is the one giving me problems.

Cheers in advance!

Mathsproblem.png

Edited by dann2707
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Spoiler alert:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/tomnelson/index-2.jpg

OK, start off looking at the red line. The angle between the top of the car on bridge and the crest of the road. You know it's 15m and 1.8m so you can calculate beta.

Blue line: I've extended the horizontal of the bridge - the angle between this and the red line is also beta (opposite angle thing). Work out x (=180 - alpha - 90)

x + beta + gamma = 90 degrees.

You know x and beta so you can calculate gamma.

Then finally the green bit - you can create yet another triangle that will be created when the driver coming up the slope reaches the point where he can just see the top of the other car. This triangle is bordered by the red line, green line(y) and the height of the driver's eyes (1.4m), with an angle of 90degrees from the slope of the incline. With gamma and the height (1.4m), you can calculate y.

But you need to know how far UP the slope the car needs to go, so your answer is 50 - y ^_^

EDIT: beaten

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I think the answer is 32.6756m but am a bit rusty with geo.

Edit: on my second go I got 32.96137m so who knows?

Second edit:: came up with 32.96137m again.............maybe its right!!

not a particularly appropriate rounding though eh (assuming you have calculated correctly)? ... And in any case - questions like this are all about the working - who gives a shit about the actual number, any monkey can bash a keypad...

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