A problem

Apr 25, 2003 08:22

Before anyone reads this- let me warn you of something. You don't want to read this. So don't. Its a math problem And you are probably not interested. But I am ( Read more... )

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hmmm.... anonymous April 25 2003, 17:30:17 UTC
i think its not a sphere, its a paraboloid... it makes everything come back to it. "A surface which may be generated by a straight line moving in such a manner as always to meet a given straight line and a given curve, and continue parallel to a given plane."
-mandy

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Re: hmmm.... scoliosispunch April 26 2003, 14:48:42 UTC
As impressed as I am that you even know what a parabaloid is, I doubt that's correct. But I'm also not sure which problem you were referring to- was it the one about the person at the center of a sphere shooting a laser beam or the one about driving down the road behind a neon?

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anonymous April 26 2003, 20:52:20 UTC
yes in fact, i do know what a paraboloid is, although i do admitt to being dense at times i am not completely stupid. i was reffering to your original question, 'what shape would the back of someone's car have to be in order to allow me to see a reflection of my headlights everywhere?'.... since a parabola makes all of the axis meet at a certain focus, if you had a parabaloid all of the light would be refected out, and no matter what direction you viewed it from, you would see the glowing light of your headlights. i know it would be a minor obsticle to make a car in that shape, however i believe that may be the answer... who knows, i may be completely wrong... but at least i had some clue.
-mandy

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