The Green Monster The left field wall at Fenway Park is 310 feet from home plate; the wall itself (affectionately named the Green Monster) is 37 feet high. A batted ball must clear the wall to be a home run. Suppose a ball leaves the bat 3 feet off the ground, at an angle of . Use feet per second2 as the acceleration due to gravity and ignore any air resistance.
a. Find parametric equations that model the position of the ball as a function of time. What is the maximum height of the ball if it leaves the bat with a speed of 90 miles per hour? Give your answer in feet.
b. How far is the ball from home plate at its maximum height? Give your answer in feet.
c. If the ball is hit straight down the left field wall, will it clear the Green Monster? If it does, by how much does it clear the wall?
To find:
a. The parametric equations that model the position of the ball as a function of time.
Answer to Problem 59AYU
a. ;
Explanation of Solution
Given:
The left field wall at Fenway Park is 310 feet from home plate; the wall itself (affectionately named the Green Monster) is 37 feet high. A batted ball must clear the wall to be a home run. Suppose a ball leaves the bat 3 feet off the ground, at an angle of . Use feet per second² as the acceleration due to gravity and ignore any air resistance.
Formula used:
,
Calculation:
, and .
a. ,
To find:
b. What is the maximum height of the ball if it leaves the bat with a speed of 90 miles per hour? Give your answer in feet.
Answer to Problem 59AYU
b. Maximum height
Explanation of Solution
Given:
The left field wall at Fenway Park is 310 feet from home plate; the wall itself (affectionately named the Green Monster) is 37 feet high. A batted ball must clear the wall to be a home run. Suppose a ball leaves the bat 3 feet off the ground, at an angle of . Use feet per second² as the acceleration due to gravity and ignore any air resistance.
Formula used:
,
Calculation:
, and .
b. Let miles/hr
Height is maximum when
sec
feet.
To find:
c. How far is the ball from home plate at its maximum height? Give your answer in feet.
Answer to Problem 59AYU
c. The ball is feet from home plate at its maximum height.
Explanation of Solution
Given:
The left field wall at Fenway Park is 310 feet from home plate; the wall itself (affectionately named the Green Monster) is 37 feet high. A batted ball must clear the wall to be a home run. Suppose a ball leaves the bat 3 feet off the ground, at an angle of . Use feet per second² as the acceleration due to gravity and ignore any air resistance.
Formula used:
,
Calculation:
, and .
c. Horizontal distance .
From b height is maximum when sec.
feet.
The ball is feet from home plate at its maximum height.
To find:
d. If the ball is hit straight down the left field wall, will it clear the Green Monster? If it does, by how much does it clear the wall?
Answer to Problem 59AYU
d. The ball will clear the Green Monster by feet.
Explanation of Solution
Given:
The left field wall at Fenway Park is 310 feet from home plate; the wall itself (affectionately named the Green Monster) is 37 feet high. A batted ball must clear the wall to be a home run. Suppose a ball leaves the bat 3 feet off the ground, at an angle of . Use feet per second² as the acceleration due to gravity and ignore any air resistance.
Formula used:
,
Calculation:
, and .
d. The ball will reach the left field fence when feet.
sec
Thus, it will take about sec to reach the left field fence.
feet
Field fence height feet,
The ball will clear the Green Monster by feet.
Chapter 10 Solutions
Precalculus Enhanced with Graphing Utilities
Additional Math Textbook Solutions
Thomas' Calculus: Early Transcendentals (14th Edition)
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