As you are waiting in line to ride the Ferris wheel at the state fair, you begin to be hypnotized by the repetitive motion of the seats. The seat is at the bottom; it's halfway up; it's at the top; it's halfway down; it's at the bottom; it's halfway up; ...
You decide to time the wheel, and observe that the time for one complete revolution is 15 seconds. You also assume that the diameter of the wheel is 100 feet because a sign beside the wheel says "Climb 100 feet into the sky on our Ferris wheel." However, you note that when you get into a seat, the seat is about 3 feet off the ground, so technically the maximum height a person would reach would be 103 ft.
Write an equation that would represent the distance above the ground as a function of time. Let t=0 be when the seat is at the lowest point on the wheel. Explain how you got your equation and how the number in the equation are related to the situation.
You decide to time the wheel, and observe that the time for one complete revolution is 15 seconds. You also assume that the diameter of the wheel is 100 feet because a sign beside the wheel says "Climb 100 feet into the sky on our Ferris wheel." However, you note that when you get into a seat, the seat is about 3 feet off the ground, so technically the maximum height a person would reach would be 103 ft.
Write an equation that would represent the distance above the ground as a function of time. Let t=0 be when the seat is at the lowest point on the wheel. Explain how you got your equation and how the number in the equation are related to the situation.