 |
| ||
| |||
|
| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
|
Question from chris, a student: If a 50 ft steel beam can expand up to 4inches when heated to 1000f |
Chris,
Under the (fairly accurate) assumption of linearity, and ignoring the words "up to", this is a ratio problem:
expansion 1 : length 1 :: expansion 2 : length 2
So you solve
expansion 2 = expansion 1 (length 2 /length 1)
Details left to you. To check, my mental estimate is a little over a foot. Good Hunting!
RD
| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
 |
|
Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.