Question

the headlights on a car are set so the light beam drops 2 in. for 26 ft measured horizontally. If the headlights are mounted 24 in. above the ground, how far ahead of the car will they hit the ground?>

Answer 1

0.168 ft aprox

Explanation:

To solve this problem, we can use similar triangles and proportions. Let's denote the distance ahead of the car where the light beam hits the ground as "x" (in feet).

According to the given information, the light beam drops 2 inches for every 26 feet horizontally. We can set up the following proportion:

2 inches / 26 feet = x inches / x + 26 feet

To solve for x, we can cross-multiply and solve the resulting equation. Let's convert inches to feet to maintain consistent units:

2 inches = 2/12 feet = 1/6 feet

1/6 feet / 26 feet = x feet / x + 26 feet

1/6 * (x + 26) = 26 * x

x/6 + 26/6 = 26x

x + 26 = 156x

156x - x = 26

155x = 26

x = 26 / 155 ≈ 0.168 ft

Therefore, the headlights will hit the ground approximately 0.168 feet (or 2.016 inches) ahead of the car.