Question 1047122
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Assume a point on the roadway at the center of the bridge is the origin of a coordinate system.  Each tower is 400 feet from the center, so the coordinates of the points where the cable attaches at the tops of the towers are (-400,50) and (400,50).  Since the parabola's vertex is at the origin, the function describing the parabola is:


*[tex \LARGE \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ f(x)\ =\ ax^2]


Since we know that *[tex \Large f(x)\ =\ 50] when *[tex \Large x\ =\ 400], solve


*[tex \LARGE \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ a(400)^2\ =\ 50]


for *[tex \Large a] to determine the unknown coefficient.  Once you have a value for *[tex \Large a], calculate *[tex \Large f(200)]


John
*[tex \LARGE e^{i\pi}\ +\ 1\ =\ 0]
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
<img src="http://c0rk.blogs.com/gr0undzer0/darwin-fish.jpg">
*[tex \Large \ \
*[tex \LARGE \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \  

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