can an equasion or formula be created for this senerio?

Hi, my name is blindman60,and I was wonderring if any of you intelectuals could write an equasion for me ???
I would like to know;
If a tree is x feet away from a powerline
and the powerline is fifty feet high
how tall would the tree have to be to come within five feet of striking the powerline
if the tree were to fall directly toward the line (at a 90 degree angle)

It just seemed like this was the place to go for an answer to this puzzle, since I do not have the ability or the smarts to figure it out on my own.

 

this image would help you to imagine right triangle made of falling tree , height of the powerline, and distance of the tree from powerline
falling tree will represent hypothenuse, in your case h (height of the tree)
height of the powerline will represent one leg, in your case 45ft (recall the tree have to be to come within five feet of striking the powerline)
and distance of the tree from powerline will represent other leg, in your case x

then, using Pythagorean theorem,

h^2=x^2+45^2
h=sqrt(x^2+45^2)

 

How did you make the cartoon image?

 

found it online

 

Ok. I am now working on the limit of the signum function and greatest integer function aka floor function and also step function. Look for my answers through the night.

 

thanks mathlover1, so could you check this for me to mke sure that I understand? If the tree is 60 feet from the powerline it would have to be 77.6208 tall approx. to come within 5 feet of striking line?

 

If the tree is 60 feet from the powerline



it would have to be 75 ft tall to come within 5 feet of striking line

 

Creating equations from written passages is a skill worth having in life. I don't think there is anything more important in terms of mathematics. In addition to my college algebra and calculus self-study, lots of word problems will be posted. Unsolved word problems will be copied and pasted from other math sites including algebra.com.

 

ok I could not open those, but I think I get it now. thanks again mathlover1, you have helped me out immensellllly!

 

attachments:
h=sqrt(60^2+45^2)
h=75ft

 

Wow! You also know differential equations. Pretty cool.