SOLUTION: Can you please help me with this problem? 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 cros

Algebra ->  Polynomials-and-rational-expressions -> SOLUTION: Can you please help me with this problem? 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 cros      Log On


   



Question 304688: Can you please help me with this problem?
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?

Found 2 solutions by vleith, mananth:
Answer by vleith(2983) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Since the railroad tracks and the road are perpendicular, use a right triangle (and Pythagoras) to solve.
a%5E2+%2B+b%5E2+=+c%5E2
The car is 30 meters. The distance from car to train is 50 (the hypotenuse is 50)
So
30%5E2+%2B+b%5E2+=+50%5E2
900+%2B+b%5E2+=+2500
b%5E2+=+1600
b+=+40
Another case of 3-4-5 ratio triangle

Answer by mananth(16946) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Distance car to crossing = 30 meters
distance car to train 50 meters
their directions are perpendicualar
50^-30^2= (distance of train from crossing)^2
2500 -900=d^2
1600=d^2
d= 40 meters