You can run at a speed of 4 mph and swim at a speed of 2 mph and are located on the shore, 6 miles east of an island that is 1 mile north of the shoreline. How far (in mi) should you run west to minimize the time needed to reach the island

9514 1404 393

  5.423 miles

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the distance to run. Then the remaining distance to the point that is closest to the island is (6-x) miles. The straight-line distance (d) to the point x from the island is given by the Pythagorean theorem:

  d² = 1² +(6 -x)² = x² -12x +37

  d = √(x² -12x +37)

The total travel time is the sum of times running and swimming. Each time is found from ...

  time = distance/speed

  total time = x/4 + d/2 = x/4 +(1/2)√(x² -12x +37)

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The total time will be minimized when its derivative with respect to x is zero.

  t' = 1/4 +(1/4)(2x -12)/√(x² -12x +37) = 0

Multiplying by 4 and combining fractions, we can see the numerator will be ...

  √(x² -12x +37) +2x -12 = 0

Subtracting the radical term and squaring both sides, we get ...

  4x² -48x +144 = x² -12x +37

  3x² -36x +107 = 0

The quadratic formula tells us the smaller of the two roots is ...

  x = (36 -√(36² -4(3)(107)))/(2(3)) = (36 -√12)/6 ≈ 5.423 . . . mi

You should run 5.423 miles west to minimize the time needed to reach the island.

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A graphing calculator solves this nicely. The attached graph shows the time is a minimum when you run 5.423 miles.

step-by-step explan mxfcg'k; uafwgzfgjhklhgation:

yo answer should be 6 if im not mistaken

step-by-step explanation: