SOLUTION: 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
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-> SOLUTION: 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
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Question 221740: 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 driver that there is a train 50 meters
from the car and heading toward the same crossing. How
far is the train from the crossing? Answer by rapaljer(4671) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Let x = distance of the train from the intersection. The distance of the car from the railroad crossing is 30 meters, and the direct distance from the car to the train is 50 meters. Notice that this picture (if you can see it!) is a right triangle, with the hypotenuse = 50 meters, the legs being x and 30.
By the Theorem of Pythagoras, a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where c is the hypotenuse.
x^2 + 30^2 = 50^2
x^2 + 900=2500
x^2 = 1600
Take sthe square root of each side:
Reject negative answer, meters.
R^2
Dr. Robert J. Rapalje, Retired
Seminole State College of Florida
Altamone Springs Campus
