Shadow Length A man 6 feet tall walks at a rate of 5 feet
per second toward a streetlight that is 30 feet high (see figure).
The man’s 3-foot-tall child follows at the same speed, but
10 feet behind the man. At times, the shadow behind the child
is caused by the man, and at other times, by the child.
(a) Suppose the man is 90 feet from the streetlight. Show that
the man’s shadow extends beyond the child’s shadow.
(b) Suppose the man is 60 feet from the streetlight. Show that
the child’s shadow extends beyond the man’s shadow.
(c) Determine the distance d from the man to the streetlight
at which the tips of the two shadows are exactly the same
distance
from the streetlight.
(d) Determine how fast the tip of the man’s shadow is moving
as a function of x, the distance between the man and the
streetlight. Discuss the continuity of this shadow speed
function.
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