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Precalculus:: A Self-Learning Module For STEM 11

This document provides 11 word problems involving conic sections to solve. The problems involve finding properties of parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas that model real-world objects and scenarios such as bridge arches, tunnel openings, water fountains, satellite dishes, suspension bridges, airplane hangars, and planetary orbits. The document instructs students to draw diagrams, write equations, and show work to find requested values such as heights, widths, distances, and equations of conic sections.

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Raffy Jay Jamin
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
58 views

Precalculus:: A Self-Learning Module For STEM 11

This document provides 11 word problems involving conic sections to solve. The problems involve finding properties of parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas that model real-world objects and scenarios such as bridge arches, tunnel openings, water fountains, satellite dishes, suspension bridges, airplane hangars, and planetary orbits. The document instructs students to draw diagrams, write equations, and show work to find requested values such as heights, widths, distances, and equations of conic sections.

Uploaded by

Raffy Jay Jamin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRECALCULUS:

A Self-Learning Module for STEM 11

Week 5 Activity:
Situational Problems Involving Conic Sections

JAY C. JAMIN, M.Eng., LPT


Bayawan National High School – Senior High School
Simple Steps for Solving Word Problems
(By Barry Schoenborn, Bradley Simkins, https://www.dummies.com/education/math/simple-
steps-for-solving-word-problems/)
1. Read the problem.
Begin by reading the problem carefully. Don’t jump to any conclusions about the answer
until you understand the problem.
2. Identify and list the facts.
Look at all the information given in the story problem and make a list of what you know.
3. Figure out exactly what the problem is asking for.
Know what you’re trying to find. The problem often states the required answer, but
sometimes you have to ferret it out from the information given. If an important fact isn’t
there, you can often convert some piece of the given information.
4. Eliminate excess information.
The problem may include facts that don’t help you find the solution, so clear them out of
the way.
5. Pay attention to units of measurement.
For example, if dimensions are given in inches, but the answer must be in square feet,
you need to convert units. You can use a table of conversions, an online calculator, or
your own memory to get the conversion factors.
6. Draw a diagram.
Sometimes a diagram helps you visualize the problem (but not always).
7. Find or develop a formula.
When you see the math that needs to be done, you probably know a common math
formula to use for the computation. You will find that you use some special formulas again
and again.
8. Consult a reference.
If you’re stuck, look for a reference of some kind, such as a conversion chart or even a
blog where someone has encountered the same problem you’re having (although as
always, consider Internet sources carefully).
9. Do the math and check your answer.
After you have an answer, be sure to test it. If the result is outrageously high or low, verify
whether you made a mistake.
For each problem below, draw a picture on a coordinate plane, clearly showing the important
points. Then, write an equation and use it to answer each question. Show your solution. Write
your answers on a graphing paper (recommended) or short size bond paper.
1. A bridge has a parabolic arch that is 10m high in the center and 30m wide at the bottom.
Find the height of the arch 6m from the center, on either side.
2. A tunnel through a mountain for a four-lane highway is to have an elliptical opening. The
total width of the highway (not the opening) is to be 16m, and the height at the edge of
the road must be sufficient for a truck 4m high to clear if the highest point of the opening
is to be 5m approximately. How wide must the opening be?
3. At a water fountain, water attains a maximum height of 4m at horizontal distance of 0.5m
from its origin. If the path of water is a parabola, find the height of water at a horizontal
distance of 0.75m from the point of origin.
4. An engineer designs a satellite dish with a parabolic cross section. The dish is 5m wide
at the opening, and the focus is placed 1.2m from the vertex.
a. Position a coordinate system with the origin at the vertex and the x -axis on the
parabola’s axis of symmetry and find an equation of the parabola.
b. Find the depth of the satellite dish at the vertex.
5. Parabolic cable of a 60m portion of the roadbed of a suspension bridge are positioned as
shown below. Vertical Cables are to be spaced every 6m along this portion of the roadbed.
Calculate the lengths of first two of these vertical cables from the vertex.

6. Cross section of a Nuclear cooling tower is in the shape of a hyperbola with equation
1. The tower is 150m tall and the distance from the top of the tower to the center of
the hyperbola is half the distance from the base of the tower to the center of the hyperbola.
Find the diameter of the top and base of the tower.

7. Assume that water issuing from the end of a horizontal pipe, 7.5m above the ground,
describes a parabolic path. The vertex of the parabolic path is at the end of the pipe. At a
position 2.5 m below the line of the pipe, the flow of water has curved outward 3m beyond
the vertical line through the end of the pipe. How far beyond this vertical line will the water
strike the ground?
8. The main cables of a suspension bridge are 20m above the road at the towers and 4m
above the road at the center. The road is 80m long. Vertical cables are spaced every
10m. The main cables hang in the shape of a parabola. Find the equation of the parabola.
Then determine how high the main cable is 20m from the center.
9. The outer door of an airplane hangar is in the shape of an ellipse. The door is 120ft across
and 90ft high. Find the equation describing the door’s shape. If you are 6ft tall, how far
must you stand from the edge of the door to keep from hitting your head?
10. An engineer designs a satellite dish with a parabolic cross-section. The dish is 15ft wide
at the opening and the depth is 4ft. Find the position of the light source (the focus). How
far is it form the deepest part of the dish?
11. According to Kepler’s Laws, planets have elliptical orbits, with the sun at one of the foci.
The farthest Pluto gets from the sun is 7.4 billion kilometers. The closest it gets to the sun
is 4.4 billion kilometers, Find the equation of Pluto’s orbit assuming a center at (0, 0).

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