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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  August 14, 2009 05:50 AM

Power Line

Suppose a power line is connected at each end to the top of two 30-foot poles that are 50 feet apart. How long is the power line (the solution is in ft with 2 digits after decimal point) if there is a 4 foot sag in the middle of the line?

Reference:
http://www.projecteureka.org/problem/question/465
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August 14, 2009 05:48 PM
The Pythagorean would work if it were a straight line, but in reality it forms a curve called the "catenary".

The length of a catenary is:
S=2/a * sinh(L/2*a)

where S is your length, L is the distance between the ends, and a is a parameter defined as:

a = 8h/(S^2-4h^2)

This definition can't be solved for S in a closed form, so we have to approximate it mathematically with a computer. The result is about 50.84.

(The site for some reason insists that it's 50.85.)
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August 14, 2009 02:26 PM
50.64 foot
Source(s):
pythagarus theorem


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