SOLUTION: During the summer heat a 2-mi bridge expands 2ft in length. If we assume that the bulge occurs in the middle, How high is the bulge?

Question 286435: During the summer heat a 2-mi bridge expands 2ft in length. If we assume that the bulge occurs in the middle, How high is the bulge?

Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
During the summer heat a 2-mi bridge expands 2ft in length. If we assume that the bulge occurs in the middle, How high is the bulge?
:
this forms two right triangles where:
a = height of the bulge
b = 1 mi; half the length of the unexpanded bridge
c = 1 mi + 1 ft; half the length of the expanded bridge (hypotenuse}
:
Convert everything to feet
b = 5280 ft
c = 5281 ft
:
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
a^2 + 5280^2 = 5281^2
a^2 = 5281^2 - 5280^2
a =
Solve with calc
a = 102.7 ft, seems like an awful lot, but there it is.

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