document.write( "Question 1169290: A railway bridge over a road is in the shape of a parabola.
\n" ); document.write( "The bridge is 3m high in the middle and 8m wide at its base.
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Algebra.Com's Answer #793961 by Solver92311(821)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Graph your concave down parabola with the vertex at the origin. Since it is 3 m high, the bottom must be at -3, and since it is 8 meters wide centered on the vertical axis, it must extend from -4 to 4 at the bottom. That gives us three points, sufficient to define a parabola. Putting the vertex at the origin eliminates the constant and first degree terms, simplifying the function considerably.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "The points are , , and , so if any parabola with a vertical axis can be modeled by , we know that, for this parabola:\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Solve the 3X3 system for the coefficients of the desired function. Hint: and will both be zero as a consequence of placing the vertex at the origin.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Once you have the desired function, calculate the value of the function at one-half the width of the truck, then subtract this value from 3 meters to find the maximum height of the truck.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "John
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\n" ); document.write( "My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
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