4. a spotlight is on ht is on and a 6 ft tall person is walking towards the wall at arate 0 A ft /sec. How fast is the height of the shadow on the wall Changing when the person is 8 ft from the wall? the ground 20 ft away from a wall

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Author:James Stewart
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Chapter1: Functions And Models
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Problem 1RCC: (a) What is a function? What are its domain and range? (b) What is the graph of a function? (c) How...
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How can I get how fast the shadow height changes when the person is 8ft from the wall?
**Problem Description:**

A spotlight is on the ground 20 ft away from a wall, and a 6 ft tall person is walking towards the wall at a rate of 4 ft/sec. How fast is the height of the shadow on the wall changing when the person is 8 ft from the wall?

**Diagram Explanation:**

The diagram shows a right triangle formed by the person, their shadow, and the line from the spotlight to the wall. 
- Point A is where the spotlight is positioned on the ground.
- Line AB is the ground distance from the spotlight to the wall, labeled as 20 ft.
- Point D is the position of the person, and DE is the height of the person (6 ft).
- EC is the shadow on the wall, labeled as h (height of the shadow).
- x is the distance from the person to the spotlight (AD), and BD is the distance of the person from the wall.

**Mathematical Explanation:**

The relationship between the height of the person and the height of the shadow can be expressed using similar triangles:

\[
\frac{AD}{AB} = \frac{DE}{BC}
\]

Substituting the known values:

\[
\frac{x}{6} = \frac{20}{h}
\]

This implies:

\[
xh = 120
\]

Differentiating both sides with respect to time (t):

\[
\frac{dx}{dt}h + x\frac{dh}{dt} = 0
\]

Additional equations:

1. Pythagorean Theorem for any dynamic triangle considerations:

\[
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
\]

Derivatives of general power functions:

- \(\frac{d}{da}(a^n) = na^{n-1} = 2a\)
- \(\frac{d}{db}(b^n) = nb^{n-1} = 2b\)

Use these to solve the problem with the given rates and distances.
Transcribed Image Text:**Problem Description:** A spotlight is on the ground 20 ft away from a wall, and a 6 ft tall person is walking towards the wall at a rate of 4 ft/sec. How fast is the height of the shadow on the wall changing when the person is 8 ft from the wall? **Diagram Explanation:** The diagram shows a right triangle formed by the person, their shadow, and the line from the spotlight to the wall. - Point A is where the spotlight is positioned on the ground. - Line AB is the ground distance from the spotlight to the wall, labeled as 20 ft. - Point D is the position of the person, and DE is the height of the person (6 ft). - EC is the shadow on the wall, labeled as h (height of the shadow). - x is the distance from the person to the spotlight (AD), and BD is the distance of the person from the wall. **Mathematical Explanation:** The relationship between the height of the person and the height of the shadow can be expressed using similar triangles: \[ \frac{AD}{AB} = \frac{DE}{BC} \] Substituting the known values: \[ \frac{x}{6} = \frac{20}{h} \] This implies: \[ xh = 120 \] Differentiating both sides with respect to time (t): \[ \frac{dx}{dt}h + x\frac{dh}{dt} = 0 \] Additional equations: 1. Pythagorean Theorem for any dynamic triangle considerations: \[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \] Derivatives of general power functions: - \(\frac{d}{da}(a^n) = na^{n-1} = 2a\) - \(\frac{d}{db}(b^n) = nb^{n-1} = 2b\) Use these to solve the problem with the given rates and distances.
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