At sea, the distance to the horizon is directly proportional to the square root of the elevation of the observer. if a person who is 36 feet above the water can see 7.4 miles, find how far a person 64 feet above the water can see.
Accepted Solution
A:
Distance is directly proportional to the square root of the elevation is important here.
The square root of 36 feet (the elevation) is 6 feet. Equation for direct proportion: y=kx (y is directly proportionate to x, k is the amount of proportion)
7.4 miles = 6 feet * k 7.4mi = 6feet* (1.233 * whatever the conversion rate is between feet and miles) The same applies to 64: the square root of it will be directly proportionate to the distance. √64 = 8