Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer.
Oh, and do not use any formulas regarding pressure. (Hint below)
Hint: You can use other tools as long as you also use the barometer.
I'm posting one puzzle, riddle, math, or statistical problem a day. Try to answer each one and post your answers in the comments section. I'll post the answer the next day. Even if you have the same answer as someone else, feel free to put up your answer, too!
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I have two ideas:
ReplyDelete1) Drop the barometer and count the seconds until it hits the ground. Use a formula to discover the approximate height of the building.
2) Sit 50 feet from building and measure angle of elevation from on top of barometer. Find the height by use of tangent or similar formula. (be sure to add height of barometer to height of building.)
this was an old story.. i've heard of this. The student did what parrotgirl's first answer.
ReplyDeleteI remember this story but not the fellow's name.
ReplyDeleteIt's about this extremely famous scientist. When asked the same question, he gave a very lame answer to it. He was eventually summoned by the teacher and he said 'I could give you a hundred ways to measure, but I gave you the most different one'.
He actually gave the teacher a hundred ways to measure the height using the barometer. The last one being 'I would ask the doorman to tell the height. As a reward, he would get the barometer'.