Learning How to Use the Prime G2 - Hallway Pole Problem - In Three Parts

[jlind]

As a comparison - I used a TI-58 and the Math/Utilities Library Module's MiniMax Program (MU-16) to solve this problem using the trig equation. Similar to the older HP's, it requires programming in the equation for the MiniMax program to use. It was able to solve the problem in under 40 minutes, first finding the angle (a minimum, in Grads ;-) ) and then the maximum pole length, in feet, using that angle. Following is a video of it with substantial cuts made to reduce it to just over a minute. ;-) Anyone thinking a current generation calculator takes too long should appreciate the time required 40 years ago.

First number entered is the "Delta" increment to use in seeking minima and maxima. Second number is the starting point. Since it's in Grads, starting with 2 Grad is well under the angle we're seeking and 0.1 as an increment will give substantial precision. A similar Delta and starting point would be good for degrees. Had it been in Radians, I'd have used significantly different values for the Delta and starting point.

Enjoy the video . . .





John