
Concept explainers
Tour Boat A tour boat travels between two islands that are 12 miles apart (see figure). There is enough fuel for a 20-mile trip.
(a) Explain why the region in which the boat can travel is bounded by an ellipse.
(b) Let
(c) The boat travels from Island 1, past Island 2 to a vertex of the ellipse, and then to Island 2.
How many miles does the boat travel? Use your answer to find the coordinates of the
vertex.
(d) Use the results from parts (b) and (c) to write an equation of the ellipse that bounds the
region in which the boat can travel.

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Chapter 6 Solutions
WebAssign Printed Access Card for Larson's Trigonometry, 10th Edition, Single-Term
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