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Conference rusure::math

Title:Mathematics at DEC
Moderator:RUSURE::EDP
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2083
Total number of notes:14613

915.0. "Walls and Ladders." by MEIS::WOLFF (Conformism is for little minds.) Mon Aug 08 1988 23:31

    I got this little problem from a friend of mine, and I thought
    I put it in here for you amousment:
    
    I ladder is standing on the floor leaning against the wall and
    a block of 1 by 1 meter. The ladder is 10 meters long.
    What is the angle of the ladder to the wall ?
    
    
    |
    |\
    | \ <-- Angle?
    |  \
    |---\
    |blk|\  blk = 1 X 1 meter
    +-----------
    
    The question really is, how do you come to your result.
    
    	Julian.
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
915.1Messy answerSSDEVO::LARYOne more thin gypsy thiefTue Aug 09 1988 00:1034
If the ladder hits the floor at (x,0) and the wall at (0,y) then:

 2    2
x  + y  = 10

xy = x + y	(or, "the line between (x,0) and (0,y) passes through (1,1)")

we are looking for arctan(y/x) = arctan(y-1) from the second equation

Now, adding twice the second equation to the first:

         2    2
	x  + y  + 2xy = 10 + 2(x+y)

             2
	(x+y)  - 2(x+y) - 10 = 0; solving the quadratic in x+y we get:

	x+y = 1 + sqrt(11) (keeping it in the 1st quadrant)

Similiarly, subtracting twice the second equation from the first:

             2
	(x-y)  = 10 - 2(x+y) = 8 - sqrt(11), x - y = (+ or -) sqrt(8 - sqrt(11))

There are two solutions, depending on whether we use the positive or negative
square root, but the two solutions merely interchange x and y and subtract the
angle from 90 degrees. Taking the positive square root, 

	y = (1 + sqrt(11) - sqrt(8 - sqrt(11)))/2

	the angle is arctan((sqrt(11) - sqrt(8-sqrt(11)) - 1)/2)

which is closed form, but not very clean...

915.2LISP::DERAMODaniel V. {AITG,LISP,ZFC}:: D'EramoTue Aug 09 1988 03:3117
     If the ladder hits the floor at (x,0) and the wall at
     (0,y) then
     
           2    2     2
          x  + y  = 10      (not 10, as in .-1)
     
     Now, "the line between (x,0) and (0,y) passes through
     (1,1)" translates to
     
          x - 0   x - 1
          ----- = -----  or  x = y(x - 1)  or  x + y = xy
          0 - y   0 - 1
     
     as in .-1 is correct.  But combining these two is still
     a mess. :-)
     
     Dan
915.3ISTG::GOKHMANBoris the BearTue Aug 09 1988 19:058
    Combining the two is just as simple as in .1 and yields
    
    x+y=xy=Sqrt(101)+1
    
    Substitution of y=Sqrt(101)+1-x into the second eqaution gives an
    easy answer.
    
    boris
915.4blush, stammerSSDEVO::LARYOne more thin gypsy thiefTue Aug 09 1988 20:276
>           2    2     2
>          x  + y  = 10      (not 10, as in .-1)

hmn, er, ah, a-HMNN, well, yes, as a matter of fact, it does seem so, er, ah...

							Richie
915.5LISP::DERAMODaniel V. {AITG,LISP,ZFC}:: D'EramoTue Aug 09 1988 22:5714
     re .3
     
>>    Substitution of y=Sqrt(101)+1-x into the second eqaution gives an
>>    easy answer.
     
     So what was the angle? :-)
     
     When I said it was messy I didn't mean it wasn't closed
     form, but that it was an inverse trig function of something
     with one or two square roots.  I couldn't see right off
     how it would simplify, to something like a rational number
     time pi radians.
     
     Dan
915.6ELWOOD::CHINNASWAMYFri Aug 12 1988 19:537
    reply
    
    If we use trig, the answer comes out to be 
    
    theta = (1/2)inverse sine((1+sqrt(101))/50)