Question

Geometry

Answer 1

Basically, you know that the chain travels 60/360 degrees of the circle, or 1/6th of the circle's circumference. This is the distance you need to find: circumference/6.

Answer 2

Ok thanks dude! Do you think you could help me the second part of this question?

Answer 3

You mean finding the actual distance?

Answer 4

No there is another question relating to this.. I don't understand this question.

Answer 5

Do you want me to post it?

Answer 6

OK what's going on here is: the large gear turns 1/6th of a full turn, and the small gear turns how much? That's what we need to find.

So what do we know? We know the circumference of both gears and we can form a ratio between them.

Imagine you are a point on the edge of the large gear. Now imagine you travel a full revolution on the edge of the gear. If you now travel the same distance on the small gear, you will go more than one full revolution, because its circumference is smaller. Just like if you were driving on the moon you wouldn't have as much space to drive around in because it's smaller.

OK so. What now? We need an exact ratio between big gear and little gear. So how do we get that?

We know one thing is certain in almost every math problem: THERE IS A SOLUTION. And the solution comes from USING ALL AVAILABLE DATA.

They give you the information, you just have to use it.

So let's put together what we have:

Circumference of large gear: 5p (assume p = pi)
Circumference of small gear: 3p
Distance traveled by chain on large gear: 5p/6 inches
Distance traveled by chain on small gear: 5p/6 inches

Remember, the chain doesn't magically stretch or compress. It is the same length the whole time. So when it travels x inches on gear 1, it travels x inches on gear 2. So it should be traveling 5p/6 inches:

5p/6 = 5(3.14159265)/6 = 2.618 inches.

Answer 7

Wow thanks! I think I got it now, and if I ever have a question I have this to reference to.