document.write( "Question 1091906: A parabolic arch is constructed which is 8 ft wide at the base and 9 feet tall. Find the height of the arch exactly 1 foot in from the base of the arch
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Algebra.Com's Answer #706396 by greenestamps(13200)\"\" \"About 
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Put the top of the arch (the vertex of the parabola) at the origin. Then since the parabola opens downward, the equation of the parabola is of the form
\n" ); document.write( "\"y+=+ax%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "where a is a negative constant.

\n" ); document.write( "If the arch is 8 feet wide and 9 feet high, then the coordinates of the bases of the arch are (-4,-9) and (4,-9). We can use the coordinates of either of those points to determine the value of the constant a.

\n" ); document.write( "\"-9+=+a%284%29%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"-9+=+16a\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"a+=+-9%2F16\"

\n" ); document.write( "So the equation of the parabola is
\n" ); document.write( "\"y+=+-%289%2F16%29x%5E2\"

\n" ); document.write( "One foot from the right base of the arch, the x value is 3; that makes the y value
\n" ); document.write( "\"-%289%2F16%29%283%5E2%29+=+-81%2F16\"

\n" ); document.write( "The number we want is the height of the arch 1 foot from its base; that is
\n" ); document.write( "\"%28-81%2F16%29-%28-9%29+=+-81%2F16+%2B+144%2F16+=+63%2F16\"

\n" ); document.write( "The height of the arch 1 foot from either base is 63/16 feet, or 3 15/16 feet.
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