MATH 1113
Bonus Problem
(10 points)
Due: Monday, February 16, at 10am
Name:
Name:
Name:
Directions: This is a group exercise. Form a group with your fellow classmates (at most three
students in each group). Solve the following problem to the best of your ability. You should write
everything out. Think of your solution as if it were a “math term paper”–a 5-paragraph essay might
work quite well. Please type your solution using MS Word with Equation Editor or some similar
mathematical typesetting program.
Problem: During a routine inspection of an elevator, a mechanic at the very top of the elevator
shaft dropped her tape measure down the shaft. Exactly 6 seconds after she dropped the tape
measure, she heard the sound of it hitting the top of the elevator, which was at the very bottom of
the shaft. The elevator is exactly 10 feet tall. Find the height of the elevator shaft. Round your
final answer to the nearest whole foot. (There are two things to consider here: (1) the distance, in
feet, that a dropped object falls in tseconds is given by s(t) = 16t2and (2) the speed of sound is
approximately 1100 ft/sec.)
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