Question

The entrance of a tunnel can be modeled by y=−11/50(x−4)(x−24), where x and y are measured in feet. The x-axis represents the ground. Find the width of the tunnel at ground level

Answer 1

20 feet

Explanation:

You want the distance between the zeros of the function y = -11/50(x -4)(x -24), where x and y are in feet.

Zeros

The function value is zero when the factors are zero:

x -4 = 0 ⇒ x = 4

x -24 = 0 ⇒ x = 24

The distance between these values on the x-axis is ...

24 -4 = 20

The width of the tunnel at ground level is 20 feet.