Ski Jump Problem: Find the Distance Down the Slope

[oray]

A ski jumper leaves the end of the ski jump headed upward along a parabolic trajectory. He reaches his
peak height 10 meters beyond the end (horizontal distance) and ten meters above it (vertical distance).
The ski slope falls away from his departure point in a straight line 45 degrees below the horizontal.
Measuring down the slope, how far from the end of the jump does the skier contact the surface?

 

[Gib Z]

Welcome to Physicsforums oray!

You must make sure to place threads in their appriopriate section, in this case it should have been in the Introductory Physics Homework Help section. Hopefully a moderator will moved it there for you. Our Homework help policy states you have to show a decent attempt at the question before we can help you with it, so that is where you should start. What have you tried?

 

[oray]

What I've Tried

here is what I've done... now I am stuck

The parabolic path is y = -(1/10)x² + 10... vertex=(0, 10). When x is ±10, y=0.

The ski-slope-line has a slope of -1 and one point on it is (-10, 0). That let's you determine the slope-line-equation:

y = -1(x) - 10

i tried setting them equal to each other and completing the square, factoring and quadratic equation I am completley stuck and i don't know what else to try...

 

[alphysicist]

Hi oray,

When you set the y values equal to each other and solve for x, what do you get?