Will a lorry fit through a circular tunnel

Will a lorry fit through a circular tunnel

IP 2
9 marks

The cross-section of a tunnel is part of a circle of radius \(5\) m. The road is a horizontal chord of the circle, \(8\) m wide, below the centre. Model a lorry's cross-section as a rectangle that drives along the middle of the road.

  1. Find the height of the highest point of the tunnel above the road.[3]
  2. A lorry is \(2.6\) m wide and \(6.8\) m tall. Determine whether it fits through the tunnel.[3]
  3. A safety rule requires \(0.5\) m clearance above the top corners of a vehicle. Find the greatest width of a \(7\) m tall vehicle that meets the rule, and state one assumption of the model.[3]

Solution:

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Answer:(a) \(8\) m (b) Height at the corners \(7.83\) m \(>6.8\) m, so it fits (c) \(4.36\) m; vehicle centred with a rectangular cross-section

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