Cats on a Ladder
- Author:
- timteachesmath
- Topic:
- Ellipse
This is a graphical solution to the following problem: "A ladder is leaning against a tree. On the center rung is a pussycat. She must be a very determined pussycat, because she remains on that rung as we draw the foot of the ladder away from the tree until the ladder is lying flat on the ground. What path does the pussycat describe as she undergoes this indignity?"
Slide the 'bottom' of the ladder. Use the checkboxes to trace the path(s) of the cat(s) or show the entire path(s).
The slider n represents the equally-spaced rungs on the ladder for n - 1 cats to sit on.
To reset, click the top-right corner or press Ctrl-F.