Question

If the distance in miles from the airport that a plane should begin descending, divided by 3, is equal to the plane's height above the ground in thousands of feet (10,000 feet), when should the pilot begin his descent?

a) 30 miles from the airport
b) 10 miles from the airport
c) 20 miles from the airport
d) 15 miles from the airport

Answer 1

The pilot should begin his descent 3 miles from the airport.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find when the pilot should begin his descent, we need to set up an equation using the given information. The distance from the airport in miles (d) divided by 3 should be equal to the plane's height above the ground in thousands of feet (h). Mathematically, this can be written as:

d/3 = h/10

To solve for d, we can cross multiply:

d = (3h)/10

Substituting the given height of 10,000 feet (10) into the equation:

d = (3 * 10) / 10 = 3

Therefore, the pilot should begin his descent 3 miles from the airport. Therefore, the correct answer is option d) 15 miles from the airport.