|
 Chapter 7.5 Puzzle
This assignment is due 48 hours after the Chapter Test is
given.
- Puzzle solutions are due by 5:00 PM two days after the Chapter
Test.
- Puzzles are worth 10 points of extra credit each.
- Answers must be accompanied by valid reasoning. Just like
the tests, the answer alone isn't enough!
- Please enter your solution in the text area at the bottom
of this page. DON'T FORGET TO GIVE YOUR NAME!
"Where to Sit
at the Movies"
You may have debated this question with a friend, "Where
shall we sit in the movie theater?" Many people do have
their opinions on where the best seat in the house is located.
This puzzling question can be answered using Calculus (see Stewart,
p. 478).
A movie theater has a screen that is positioned 10 feet off
the floor and is 25 feet high. The first row of seats is placed
9 feet from the screen and the rows are 3 feet apart. The floor
of the seating area is inclined at an angle of 
above the horizontal and the distance up the incline that you
sit is x. The theater has 21 rows of seats.
Suppose you decide that the best place to sit is in the row
where the angle  subtended
by the screen at your eyes is a maximum. Let's also suppose that
your eyes are 4 feet above the floor.
Show that:
Use a graph of as
a function of x to estimate the value of x that maximizes .
In which row should you sit? What is the viewing angle in this row?
Use MAPLE to differentiate
and find a numerical value for the root of the equation  . Does this value confirm your
results?
Don't forget to explain your answer
as clearly as possible.
Please type LAST name:
Please type your Student ID Number:
I received
no help from anyone on this assignment.
Type your answer into the box and click the submit button.
The time and date of your entry will be recorded.
This site is made possible by funding
from the National Science Foundation (DUE-9981111).
|