-------------------
in Algebra 1 Answers by

Your answer

Your name to display (optional):
Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications.
Anti-spam verification:
To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register.

1 Answer

Best answer

 

Consider the geometry. The picture shows the tower TS above sea level (S) in red, the globe (centre O) in green, with radii SO and HO in blue. The line of sight TH from the top of the tower T to the observed horizon H is shown as a dotted red line TH. The horizon distance is the arc SH, which subtends angle θ (=∠TOH=∠SOH). TH is a tangent at H to the globe, so ∠THO is a right angle.

Let’s look at the problem algebraically:

h=TS, SO=HO=R, arc SH=Rθ.

cosθ=OH/TO=R/(R+h), from which θ=arccos(R/(R+h)).

So the apparent horizon distance z=Rarccos(R/(R+h)).

R=6378000, h=72, θ=arccos(6378000/6378072)=0.004751568 radians approx.

A simple way to find the variation in θ is to work out the maximum and minimum values of R/(R+h). If the error in R is ∆R and the error in h is ∆h, we have the following values for R/(R+h):

(R-∆R)/(R-∆R+h-∆h)=0.9999890029, 

(R-∆R)/(R-∆R+h+∆h)=0.9999883745 (min), θ=0.00482193374 (max),

(R+∆R)/(R+∆R+h-∆h)=0.9999890468 (max), θ=0.00468043175 (min),

(R+∆R)/(R+∆R+h+∆h)=0.9999884209.

From these we can work out z and its error:

z=Rθ:

z=29911.49, 30692.78m or 29.91149, 30.69278km

Reducing this to 2 decimal places:

horizon is 30.30±0.39km.

by Top Rated User (1.1m points)

Related questions

1 answer
asked Jan 30, 2013 in Algebra 1 Answers by anonymous | 649 views
1 answer
1 answer
Welcome to MathHomeworkAnswers.org, where students, teachers and math enthusiasts can ask and answer any math question. Get help and answers to any math problem including algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, fractions, solving expression, simplifying expressions and more. Get answers to math questions. Help is always 100% free!
87,542 questions
99,807 answers
2,417 comments
523,545 users