SOLUTION: The force exerted on the soles of the feet for a typical basketball jump shot is directly proportional to the shooter's weight. If a 150 lb player exerts a force of 2000 lbs, what

Algebra ->  Rational-functions -> SOLUTION: The force exerted on the soles of the feet for a typical basketball jump shot is directly proportional to the shooter's weight. If a 150 lb player exerts a force of 2000 lbs, what       Log On


   

Question 296682: The force exerted on the soles of the feet for a typical basketball jump shot is directly proportional to the shooter's weight. If a 150 lb player exerts a force of 2000 lbs, what force is exerted by a 6ft 8in. 280 lb player?
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let F = force exerted and w = weight

So "The force exerted on the soles of the feet for a typical basketball jump shot is directly proportional to the shooter's weight" means that F=kw for some constant 'k'


Because we're given that "a 150 lb player exerts a force of 2000 lbs", we know that F=2000 and w=150. Plug these into the equation above to get 2000=k%28150%29. From here, divide both sides by 150 to get k=2000%2F150=40%2F3


So the equation is F=%2840%2F3%29w. Now just plug in w=280 to find 'F' for a 280 lb player.


Note: the given info on the height of the player has nothing to do with the problem. That's just there to throw you off.