Neglecting the Curvature of the Earth

This task applies geometric concepts, namely properties of tangents to circles and of right triangles, in a modeling situation. The key geometric point in this task is to recognize that the line of sight from the mountain top towards the horizon is tangent to the earth. We can then use a right triangle where one leg is tangent to a circle and the other leg is the radius of the circle to investigate this situation.
Resource ID#: 44113 Type: Problem-Solving Task
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General Information

Subject(s): Mathematics
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators educators, Students , Parents
Suggested Technology: Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 15 Minute(s)
Keywords: curvature, spheres, modeling, Phythagorean Theorem, Florida Standards, task, geometric modeling, curvature of the earth, line of sight, horizon, right triangle, radius, tangent to a circle, tangent to the horizon, cpalms, icpalms, illustrativemathematics.org, illustrative mathematics, tasks, mathematics, math, Florida standards, resource, free, freely available, problems-based learning, student activities, integer, real world, Badwater Basin, Mt. Whitney, distance
Instructional Component Type(s): Problem-Solving Task
Resource Collection: Illustrative Mathematics

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