How do parabolas help us in real life?

Question

I need to write an essay on how parabolas relate to us and our school for a class. I can't think of any reason why they help us, besides knowing them helps you ace your tests...Otherwise, I guess architectures use them.. i dont know. Can you help?

Thanks for all the replies, but parabolas and satelites, and space and such do not relate to my school..That's why I'm having such a hard time. Any other suggestions????

Answer 1

Parabolas are the reason international communications work. The geometric implications in constructing a parabola are the reason satellites exist and work as well as they do. Free fall rates are also related strongly to parabolas because the displacement function in free fall is a second order polynomial (ignoring air friction) which is exceedingly useful in the study of classical mechanics. Parabolas are also strongly related to the ability of springs to do what they do best, absorb energy. The function for the amount of work a spring does over a certain distance is a squared function. This is of course what makes your ride in a car smoother and safer.

Answer 2

Parabolas In The Real World

Answer 3

Anything that uses a ballistic path. A baseball is hit high and deep into the outfield. How does the outfielder know whether to run in toward the ball, or farther out into the field? He's using his experience and knowledge of the predictable parabolic path of the ball. New self-propelled artillery units can fire six rounds in quick succession from one barrel. All six shots will impact the ground at the same time and very close to each other. Here they are using six parabolas with different heights.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do parabolas help us in real life?
I need to write an essay on how parabolas relate to us and our school for a class. I can't think of any reason why they help us, besides knowing them helps you ace your tests...Otherwise, I guess architectures use them.. i dont know. Can you help?

Answer 5

If you throw a rock, it's path traces a parabola.
If you shoot a bullet from a rifle, it's path traces a parabola as well as an artillery shell.

The mentioned occur because of the accelerating effect of gravity on matter.
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Answer 6

Many mirrors and lenses are parabolic because no matter the direction of light entering, it will always exit through a point in space called the focus. This explains why we have a focus apparatus on cameras, microscopes, telescopes, etc. This occurs by lengthening or shortening the distance.
Also, receiving dishes like Direct TV and Dish Network as well as others depend on the parabolic effect to receive and concentrate video/audio carriers on the focal point where the signals are captured.

Answer 7

Parabolas are used for satellite dishes, the umbrella-like things behind flashes, and headlights in cars. The first one is useful because the waves hit the surface of the dish and are directed to the focus, which is where the signal is picked up. In the second two, the light hits the reflective surfaces and bounces straight ahead in parallel lines.

Answer 8

I don't have enough information to write an essay, so you'll have to dig it out. Parabolas are used in space research to create zero gravity.

Answer 9

You´ll see parabolas when somebody throw a stone, water in a source, play basketball, or everything, bombs included, in a gravitational field.
If you are thinking in architecture, see arcs in "colegio de las teresianas", of architect Antonio Gaudi, in Barcelona, Spain.
Try searching gaudi in the web.

Answer 10

School! A jump rope. When you hold the jump rope in both hands and start jumping, aren't you jumping over the vertex of a parabola?!