The Burning Goat

[ishte]

I couldn't help it!! Don't look at me that way!

I found this again after 4 years in my sent mail while i was looking for another sent mail, and I had to repeat it.

Farmer Bob has carelessly poured gasoline on his goat while refueling his tractor. Pleased with a job well done, Bob pulls out a cigarette and tosses the match over his shoulder onto the unsuspecting animal. Panicking, the flaming beast heads for a lake which is 5 miles due north of the barn. The barn is 12 miles due west of the goat. The goat runs at 25 miles per hour, but 2/3 of the way there, he falls into a ditch and breaks his leg, so his speed is reduced to 6 miles per hour. The goat can survive for one hour in flames. Will he make it to the lake before he is reduced to a smoldering stump?

 

The answer, along with some really funny (and geeky) commentary and the origin of the problem can be found at http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5988547.html 

Comments

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

*slowly shaking head*

[ishte.livejournal.com]

Did you do that math? It's actually a pretty simple problem.

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

*chuckling* I was trying to figure that one out. So the goat is 17 miles from the body of water. And is running at 25 miles per hour.

Let's just say I came up with a completely different answer from what was originally posted. I got it that the poor flaming goat had another 3.456 miles to go before becoming charcoal.

[ishte.livejournal.com]

You added the distance from the goat's starting point to the barn and the distance from the barn to the lake to get your 17 miles, rather than the goat making a direct beeline to the lake. See?



Remember, if the goat is due east of the barn and the lake due north of the barn, then the barn is at a right angle between those two points. The Goat is going to run the hypotenuse of that right triangle.

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

Oh gods the dreaded right triangle again!

[ishte.livejournal.com]

Right triangle is easy. the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the two sides squared. In other words, the distance between the goat and the barn (or a) squared, plus the distance from the barn to the lake (or b) squared is the distance the goat will run straight to the lake (or c) squared.

a²+b²=c²

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

Okay...now that I see where I went wrong. I'll have to work this all out tomorrow, when brain is clearer. Draw it all out so I can understand it.

[ishte.livejournal.com]

What? You mean you couldn't see my wonderful drawing I did for you? Awwwww!

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

Oh no no no I SEE your really nice drawing...I just have to plug in numbers and try to remember the durn equation for the whole thing.

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

I said something to my professor about the presented problem, and she said we've not covered this yet...it will be in a couple of classes from now. So I should keep this problem as an example for the rest of the class to try and solve..when the time comes.

Remind me again okay?