document.write( "Question 1198216: A satellite dish is shaped like a paraboloid of revolution. This means that it can be formed by rotating a parabola around its axis of symmetry. The receiver is to be located at the focus. If the dish is 72 feet across at its opening and 6 feet deep at its center, where should the receiver be placed? (Hint: Draw a cross section of the dish on a graph and place the vertex at (0, -6) so that the opening of the dish lies on the x-axis).\r
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document.write( "Find the equation of the parabola.
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document.write( "How far above the vertex should the receiver be placed? \n" );
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Algebra.Com's Answer #848335 by onyulee(41)![]() ![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! **1. Find the Equation of the Parabola**\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* **Vertex:** (0, -6) \n" ); document.write( "* **Point on the Parabola:** (36, 0) (Since the dish is 72 feet across, the point on the parabola is half of that, or 36 feet, from the vertex)\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* **Standard Form of a Parabola:** \n" ); document.write( " (x - h)² = 4p(y - k) \n" ); document.write( " where (h, k) is the vertex\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* **Substitute values:** \n" ); document.write( " (x - 0)² = 4p(y - (-6)) \n" ); document.write( " x² = 4p(y + 6)\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* **Find the value of 'p':** \n" ); document.write( " Substitute the point (36, 0) into the equation: \n" ); document.write( " 36² = 4p(0 + 6) \n" ); document.write( " 1296 = 24p \n" ); document.write( " p = 1296 / 24 \n" ); document.write( " p = 54\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* **Equation of the Parabola:** \n" ); document.write( " x² = 4 * 54 * (y + 6) \n" ); document.write( " x² = 216(y + 6)\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "**2. Find the Distance of the Receiver from the Vertex**\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* The receiver should be placed at the focus of the parabola. \n" ); document.write( "* The distance from the vertex to the focus is 'p'.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* **Receiver Distance:** 54 feet\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "**Therefore:**\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "* The equation of the parabola is: x² = 216(y + 6) \n" ); document.write( "* The receiver should be placed 54 feet above the vertex of the dish. \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |