Hieght of a volume in a cylinder on its side, with known volume.

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The discussion focuses on determining the height of liquid (h) in a horizontally oriented cylinder, given its volume (V), length (L), and radius (R). The user has a formula for volume but encounters difficulties when attempting to solve for h. They describe their approach, which involves manipulating the equation through division and polynomial expansion, but ultimately feel stuck. The user mentions that the formula provided includes a cosine inverse function, indicating a potential complexity in the calculations. The conversation suggests exploring alternative methods, possibly involving calculus, to directly solve for h.
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This is my first post and is for an applied project (not for a class) but I thought this was the best place to ask for help.


Homework Statement


Given a cylindar on its side, with volume V, length L, and Radius R, what is height (h) of liquid. I have fomula for volume as a function of radius, length, and height, but when I try to solve for h, things get difficult.


Homework Equations


CylindricalSegment_1002.gif

and
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/images/equations/CylindricalSegment/equation2.gif

The Attempt at a Solution


1) divide both sides by L
2) square both sides
3) expand polynomials
4) get stuck, post this message
 
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Did you come up with that formula or was it provided and you have to solve for h?

\cos^{-1}(\frac{R-h}{R})=\frac{\mbox{adjacent}}{\mbox{hypotenuse}}
 
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It was provided for me and I'm trying to solve for h. It is possible that there is a different approach to the problem that solves for h directly (via caluclus) but I have not found it.
 
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