Gabriella is designing a flashlight that uses a parabolic reflecting mirror and a light source. The shape of the mirror can be modeled by a parabola that opens upward with a diameter of 4 in. and a depth of 1 in. Where should she place the bulb to ensure a perfect beam of light?

Question

Mathematics

Oliver Browning

6 June, 21:51

Gabriella is designing a flashlight that uses a parabolic reflecting mirror and a light source. The shape of the mirror can be modeled by a parabola that opens upward with a diameter of 4 in. and a depth of 1 in. Where should she place the bulb to ensure a perfect beam of light?

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Lyric Cherry · Answer 1

I won't give you the full answer since I'm pretty sure I saw this question on a test before, but you should place the bulb at something called the focus of the parabola, at least in optics thats what you should do : P