All about flooble | fun stuff | Get a free chatterbox | Free JavaScript | Avatars    
perplexus dot info

Home > Shapes > Geometry
I See No Ships (Posted on 2005-01-23) Difficulty: 3 of 5
You are standing on a beach looking out into the ocean. Assuming your view is unobstructed, how far can you see?

No Solution Yet Submitted by Juggler    
Rating: 2.7500 (4 votes)

Comments: ( Back to comment list | You must be logged in to post comments.)
Solution Solution | Comment 2 of 17 |
Let R be the radius of the earth, and let h be the distance from the ground to my eyes.  The center of the earth, my eyes, and the furthest point I can see form a right triangle with hypotenuse (R+h) and with one leg R.  The distance I can see is the length of the other leg, which is sqrt((R+h)^2 - R^2) = sqrt(2Rh+h^2). 
  Posted by David Shin on 2005-01-23 16:18:00
Please log in:
Login:
Password:
Remember me:
Sign up! | Forgot password


Search:
Search body:
Forums (0)
Newest Problems
Random Problem
FAQ | About This Site
Site Statistics
New Comments (12)
Unsolved Problems
Top Rated Problems
This month's top
Most Commented On

Chatterbox:
Copyright © 2002 - 2024 by Animus Pactum Consulting. All rights reserved. Privacy Information