document.write( "Question 148702This question is from textbook Elementary and Intermediate Algebra
\n" ); document.write( ": Avoiding a collision. A car is traveling on a road that is perpendicular to a railroad track. When the car is 30 meters from the crossing, the car's new collision detector warns the friver that there is a train 50 meters from the car and heading toward the same crossing. How far is the train from the crossing? \n" ); document.write( "

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Avoiding a collision. A car is traveling on a road that is perpendicular to a railroad track. When the car is 30 meters from the crossing, the car's new collision detector warns the friver that there is a train 50 meters from the car and heading toward the same crossing. How far is the train from the crossing?
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\n" ); document.write( "Draw a diagram of the situation and label the information provided.
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\n" ); document.write( "Once you do that, you should see that the \"front of the car\", the \"center of the crossing\" and the \"front of the train\" forms a \"right triangle\". Now, you can apply Pythagorean's theorem:
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\n" ); document.write( "Let x = distance of train from crossing
\n" ); document.write( "then
\n" ); document.write( "x^2 + 30^2 = 50^2
\n" ); document.write( "x^2 + 900 = 2500
\n" ); document.write( "x^2 = 2500 - 900
\n" ); document.write( "x^2 = 1600
\n" ); document.write( "x = 40 feet \n" ); document.write( "

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