How Far Can A Person See?

[felizgu]

Homework Statement

How far can a person see standing on the observation deck?

Relevant Equations

Pythygorean Theorem

The tallest building in the world is Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 2717 feet and 160 floors.The observation deck is 1450 feet above ground level. How far can a person standing on the observation deck see (with the aid of a telescope)? Use 3960 miles for the radius of Earth.

Let me see. I know that the Pythygorean Theorem is needed.

Let s = how far a person can see.

Let d = height of observation deck.

Let r = radius of Earth

Let m = number of feet in a mile

I think the correct expression of the Pythagorean Theorem for this problem is the following:

s^2 + r^2 = [ r + (d/m)]^2

I will now replace the letters with the value for each. I need to solve for s.

(s)^2 + (3690)^2 = [3960 + (1450/5280)]^2

Is this the correct set up?

 

[Filip Larsen]

It looks correct.

I would recommend solving the initial equation symbolically first and only then insert the numbers to calculate the actual value.

 

[Mark44]

Thread closed due to OP being banned for creating multiple accounts.