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Calculus Written Report

The document discusses parabolas and their important reflective property that is useful for lamps and telescopes. Specifically, it can summarize: 1) Parabolic mirrors reflect light into parallel beams by concentrating light approaching from parallel rays to a single focal point, and reflecting light from a source at the focal point outward in parallel rays. 2) This reflective property is demonstrated in the example of finding the focal point of a searchlight, where the light bulb is located 9/8 inches from the vertex inside a parabolic reflector that is 12 inches wide and 8 inches deep. 3) The reflective property of parabolas allows them to be used in reflecting telescopes to concentrate or reflect light.

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Leonora Erika Rivera
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104 views

Calculus Written Report

The document discusses parabolas and their important reflective property that is useful for lamps and telescopes. Specifically, it can summarize: 1) Parabolic mirrors reflect light into parallel beams by concentrating light approaching from parallel rays to a single focal point, and reflecting light from a source at the focal point outward in parallel rays. 2) This reflective property is demonstrated in the example of finding the focal point of a searchlight, where the light bulb is located 9/8 inches from the vertex inside a parabolic reflector that is 12 inches wide and 8 inches deep. 3) The reflective property of parabolas allows them to be used in reflecting telescopes to concentrate or reflect light.

Uploaded by

Leonora Erika Rivera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Bicol University

College of Education
Daraga, Albay
S.Y.: 2015-2016

Submitted by:
Marian Galoso
BSED II-Q Physics
Submitted to:
Dr. Epiphania B. Nuez, Ph.D.
Professor

Parabolas: Application
Parabolas have an important property that makes them useful as reflectors for lamps
and telescopes. Light from a surface placed at the focus of a surface with a parabolic cross
section will be reflected in such a way that it travels parallel to the axis of parabola. Thus a
parabolic mirror reflects the light into a beam of parallel rays. Conversely, light approaching the
reflector in rays parallel to its axis of symmetry is concentrated to the focus. The reflection
property, which can be proved by using calculus, is used in the construction of reflecting
telescopes.

A Parabolic Reflector

Example
Finding the Focal Point of a Searchlight Reflector
A searchlight has a parabolic reflector that forms a bowl, which is 12 in. wide from rim to rim
and 8 in. deep, as shown below. If the filament of the light bulb is located at the focus , how far
from the vertex of the reflector is it?

12 in

8 in

The equation of this parabola has the form


x = 4py
6 = 4p(8)
36 = 32p
p = 9/8
The point (6, 8) satisfies the equation x = 4py .

So the focus is F (0, 9/8)

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