The distance you can see to the horizon is given by the formula d= the square root of 1.5 times h, where d is the distance in miles and h is the height in feet above the horizon line. Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous 48 states. Its elevation is 14,494 feet. The lowest elevation, at -282 feet, is located near Badwater, California. With a clear enough sky and no obstructions, could you see from the top of Mt. Whitney to Badwater if the distance between them is 135 miles?

Question

The distance you can see to the horizon is given by the formula d= the square root of 1.5 times h, where d is the distance in miles and h is the height in feet above the horizon line. Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous 48 states. Its elevation is 14,494 feet. The lowest elevation, at -282 feet, is located near Badwater, California. With a clear enough sky and no obstructions, could you see from the top of Mt. Whitney to Badwater if the distance between them is 135 miles?

please explain it to me, I don't get it.
Thank you.

Answer 1

Compute the distance to the horizon from Mt. Whitney, using the formula they gave you. If it is closer than 135 miles, then points beyond it at sea level or below, such as Badwater (Death Valley) cannot be seen from there.

I get the horizon to be 147 miles away.

Answer 2

d=square root 1.5 h

Answer 3

To determine whether you can see from the top of Mt. Whitney to Badwater, California, we can use the formula for calculating the distance to the horizon. Let's plug in the values given:

d = √(1.5 * h)
d = √(1.5 * 14494)
d = √(21741)

Calculating the square root, we find that the distance to the horizon from Mt. Whitney is approximately 147.41 miles.

Now let's check if this distance allows us to see from Mt. Whitney to Badwater. The given distance between them is 135 miles, which is less than the distance to the horizon from Mt. Whitney.

Since Badwater is within the calculated distance to the horizon, it is theoretically possible to see from the top of Mt. Whitney to Badwater, California, as long as there are no obstructions and the sky is clear enough. However, it's important to note that atmospheric conditions, like haze or fog, might affect visibility.

Answer 4

To determine whether you can see from the top of Mt. Whitney to Badwater, we can use the formula: d = sqrt(1.5h), where d is the distance in miles and h is the height in feet.

First, convert the height of Mt. Whitney to feet: 14,494 feet.

Next, we can calculate the distance you can see from the top of Mt. Whitney using the formula: d = sqrt(1.5 * 14,494).

Calculating this gives us: d = sqrt(21,741).

Taking the square root of 21,741, we find that the distance you can see from the top of Mt. Whitney is approximately 147.42 miles.

Since the distance between Mt. Whitney and Badwater is 135 miles, it means that the two locations are within the visibility range. Therefore, with a clear sky and no obstructions, it is theoretically possible to see from the top of Mt. Whitney to Badwater.