Reflectors, Cookers, and Other Phenomena
- Author:
- Tim Brzezinski
- Topic:
- Conic Sections, Geometry, Parabola
Watch this clip from 2:25 to the end.
Describe what you see here. Notice anything interesting?
Suppose a solar cooker has a parabolic cross section. Any object placed at the igniter will burn within seconds after the sun's rays start hitting the parabolic dish.
Suppose we consider (0,0) = this parabola's vertex.
Given this,
- Find an equation for this parabola
- Determine the depth of the dish.
Can skyscrapers melt cars and set surrounding buildings on fire? What do you think? If so, what causes this? Check this out.