Question 1047122
A suspension bridge with weight uniformly distributed along its length has twin towers that extend 50 meters above the road surface and are 800 meters apart.  The cables are parabolic in shape and are suspended from the tops of the towers.  The cables touch the road surface at the center of the bridge.  Find the height of the cables at a point 200 meters from the center. (Assume that the road is level.)
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3 points on the parabola are given: (-400,50), (0,0) and (400,50)
Find the equation of the parabola.
y = f(x) = ax^2
50 = a*400^2
f(x) = 0.0003125x^2
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Find f(200)
f(200) = 0.0003125*200^2
= 12.5 meters
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PS  Hanging cables don't form parabolas.
They from catenary curves.