Math Help

Okay, I stated that my daughter would probably need some help with math but did not realize it would be so quickly.

Here goes:

A long piece of colored paper is attached as a party decoration at the top corners of a wall of a rectangular room, the strip of paper approximates a parabola with the equation y=.008(x-25) squared + 10. The bottom left corner of the wall is the origin.

Questions:

1. How far apart are the corners?

2. How high is the ceiling?

Please help me understand how to get to the answers on these questions. I appreciate it.

Grace's daughter

 

http://www.webmath.com/parabolas.html

Your problem is just like example number 1 on the site. Click on it, then enter your problem in the spaces provided. Click draw problem and you will have the explanation of how the solution is reached.

Here's another one - it goes into a lot of detail about different parabolas and their charting. http://www.hyper-ad.com/tutoring/math/algebra/Quadratic_theory.html

 

Thanks, zookeeper. She will be on the Forum soon to see if she has any hits. We have someone over here trying to explain it to her and when they are done she will get on. This is Greek to me, and would you use this in engineering and science? Asking because I don't see the purpose of these equations.

Grace

 

My hubby is a math geek - he says parabolas are used in engineering and physics.

He said that parabolas are an integral part in designing many structures - he used a suspension bridge as an example. He mentioned trajectory applications for air and space as well. He talks over my head, so I can't really understand what they are all about He's not one who can teach anyone anything - terrible about breaking things down. The only man I know who can actually do those ridiculously long math problems and find them relaxing :shock:

 

Thanks so much. She'll be on soon. Your husband sounds like he would fun. Thank him for the explanation and all.

Grace

 

Thank you so much for the link. It helped me understand my homework along with someone coming over to our house. My mother loves this site and now I say "you rock".

Grace's daughter