Virgil
Posts:
1,119
Registered:
12/6/04
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Re: Crossed Ladders Problem (again)
Posted:
Aug 22, 2001 7:50 AM
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In article <3b831d35$1@news1.abac.com>,
"Randall L. Rathbun" <randallr@abac.com> wrote:
> L.A. Graham, in the Dover book "Ingenious Mathematical Problems and
> Methods" on page 18, Problem 25 "The Two Ladders", presents the classic
> problem of two ladders, one 20 ft. long, the other 30 ft. long, each
> crossing each other 8 ft. above the floor, and the question is asked "How
> wide is the room?
>
> Is there anyway to solve this problem, without resorting to a quartic
> equation, and using Ferrari's method?
>
> Thanks for your input.
>
> - Randall
>
If you need an exact answer, I think you need to solve the quartic.
If an approximate answer will do, there are other equations
representing the problem, and they can be solved by approximation
methods.
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