Precalculus: Mathematics for Calculus, 7th Edition

Published by Brooks Cole
ISBN 10: 1305071751
ISBN 13: 978-1-30507-175-9

Chapter 10 - Section 10.8 - Systems of Nonlinear Equations - 10.8 Exercises - Page 755: 49

Answer

$(400.5,200.25)m$ $447.77m$

Work Step by Step

Step 1. We can simulate the hill with a line equation. Since it passes the origin with a slope of $1/2$, we have $y=\frac{1}{2}x$ Step 2. The trajectory of the parabola is given as $y=-x^2+401x$. To find the intersection point with the hill, use the above equation and replace $y$ to get $\frac{1}{2}x=-x^2+401x$ or $2x^2-801x=0$ Step 3. Solve the above equation (discard $x=0$) to get $x=400.5m$, thus $y=200.25m$ Step 4. The distance along the hill can be found using the Pythagorean's Theorem (or distance formula) as: $D=\sqrt {400.5^2+200.25^2}\approx447.77m$
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