Sailors need to consider the speed of the wind when adjusting the sails on their boat. The force F (in pounds per square foot) on a sail when the wind is blowing perpendicular to the sail can be modeled by the function F = 0.004v2 where v is the wind speed (in knots).

Find the wind speed that will produce a force of 2.5 pounds per square foot on a sail.

Question

Sailors need to consider the speed of the wind when adjusting the sails on their boat. The force F (in pounds per square foot) on a sail when the wind is blowing perpendicular to the sail can be modeled by the function F = 0.004v2 where v is the wind speed (in knots).

Find the wind speed that will produce a force of 2.5 pounds per square foot on a sail.

Mercury · Answer

you are given the equation F = 0.004v^2 , where F = force, and v = wind speed
therefore, you can plug in F = 2.5 and solve for v