Showing posts with label proportions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proportions. Show all posts

Friday, May 31, 2013

Aspect ratio

Movies and the screens we view them on typically come in two formats. Standard format has a 3:4 aspect ratio, meaning that the picture height is 3/4 of the picture width. Widescreen format has a 9:16 aspect ratio, so the picture height is 9/16 of the picture width. A widescreen movie shown on a standard screen has two horizontal black bars, one above and one below the picture. Likewise, a standard movie shown on a widescreen screen has vertical black bars on the sides. What percent of the viewing area is lost to the black bars when viewing a widescreen movie on a standard screen? How about when viewing a standard movie on a widescreen screen?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Speed

You are in your car going 5 miles in 4 minutes. What is your speed in miles per hour?

Friday, November 16, 2012

Scones

A recipe for scones calls for 3 cups of flour and 10 tablespoons of butter and makes 12 scones. You only have 2 cups of flour, but you can still make 8 scones. How much butter should you use? (Hint: 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Coin Stacks II

It is possible to mix coins in a stack to get a stack a whole number of millimeters high. For example, a stack of 2 nickels and 2 pennies has a height of exactly 2 × 1.95 + 2 × 1.55 = 7 mm. Can you find a stack of coins with a whole number of millimeters less than 7?

Coin Stacks

US coins have different thicknesses as specified below:
Penny 1.55 mm
Nickel 1.95 mm
Dime 1.35 mm
Quarter 1.75 mm
Two stacks of coins may have the same height but a different number of coins. For example, a stack of 39 pennies has a height of 39 × 1.55 = 60.45 mm, and a stack of 31 nickels also has a height of 31 × 1.95 = 60.45 mm. Find the smallest number of dimes and quarters that can likewise be made into two stacks the same height.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Stopping Distance

At 35 mph a car has a stopping distance of about 50 feet. The stopping distance is directly proportional to the kinetic energy of the car, which is proportional to (mv2)/2, where m is the mass of the car and v is its velocity. How many more feet will be required to stop at 40 mph?

Friday, December 10, 2010

River Crossing


Click the image to see it full size.

A surveyor made the measurements shown above to determine the distance x across the river. Find the value of x.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Fat Calories

A hamburger from a popular chain contains 670 calories and has 40 grams of fat. There are 9 calories in a gram of fat. What percent of the calories in the hamburger are from fat?

Quarter Pound

A roll of quarters weighs 8 ounces. There are 40 quarters in a roll. What is the monetary value of a pound of quarters?