SOLUTION: a plane is flying 6 miles above the surface of the earth. A passenger looks out of the window to the distant horizon. On a clear day how far is the horizon to the nearest mile? ass
Algebra.Com
Question 767225: a plane is flying 6 miles above the surface of the earth. A passenger looks out of the window to the distant horizon. On a clear day how far is the horizon to the nearest mile? assume the radius of the earth is 3960 miles
Answer by algebrahouse.com(1659) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A right triangle is formed with 6 miles above the earth and 3,960 mile radius
being the legs of the right triangle. The distance to the horizon is the
hypotenuse.
a² + b² = c² {the Pythagorean Theorem}
a and b are the legs, c is the hypotenuse
3960² + 6² = c² {substituted into the Pythagorean Theorem}
15,681,600 + 36 = c² {evaluated exponents}
15,681,636 = c² {added}
c ≈ 3,960.005 {took square root of each side and rounded}
The horizon is approximately 3,960 miles away
For more help from me, visit:
www.algebrahouse.com
RELATED QUESTIONS
Earth has a radius of 6371 kilometers. A pilot is flying at a steady altitude of 5.6... (answered by ikleyn)
Distance to the Horizon. The radius of the earth is approximately 4,000 mi. Approximate... (answered by Boreal)
The distance a person can see to the horizon from a point above the surface of Earth... (answered by stanbon)
Suppose a space shuttle is orbiting about 180 miles above Earth. What is the distance... (answered by dabanfield)
On earth, the distance D at which we can see the horizon(in miles), in terms of our... (answered by solver91311)
The weight of an object varies inversely as the square of the​ object's distance from... (answered by ikleyn)
A formula for calculating the distance d one can see from an airplane to the horizon on a (answered by vleith)
The radius of the earth is approximately 4000 miles. If a person weighs 160 pounds on the (answered by Fombitz,Alan3354)
The weight of an object on or above the surface of Earth varies inversely as the square... (answered by ewatrrr)