Orchard Hideout

Julia Earley - Precalculus 2021

Problem statement

The orchard hideout is set in a tree orchard. We are placed in the middle of this orchard and are

slowly watching the trees grow until eventually the orchard is a total hideout- meaning we can not see

outside of it. All the trees are formatted by a circle with a radius of 50 units, and each tree starts with a

radius of 2.5 inches and grows by 1.5 inches per year. The conversion of units to inches we are given is
a single unit is 10 feet, one foot is 12 inches. We also know that the final line of sight (the line we

would look down from the middle to see outside the orchard for as long as possible) is located at 25, ½.

Process

With this information, we can start to draw out how our orchard looks relative to the final line of

sight, (reference A). Then, we can now start to pull out similar triangles to find the radius of our trees

needed to touch the final line of sight, (reference B) We know for a fact that these two triangles are

similar because they share two angles meaning they must share the third. From here, we can refigure

the triangles in a way that makes sense, with both right angles in the same place (reference C) Now, we

need to find the ratio of our triangles- what do we do to our big triangle to convert it to our little

triangle. To do this, we need to find the hypotenuse of our large triangle; since we already know the

hypotenuse of our small triangle we will use this side length to find our conversion factor. 1 square is

one, and 50 units squared is 2500 units. Together we get 2501 units, the square root of that is around

50.009 units- so pretty much 50. Now, we will divide 1 by 50 to get our conversion factor. 1/50 is 0.02

units, 0.02 units times 1 is 0.02 units, so the radius we need to achieve for the orchard to be a total

hideout is 0.02 units.

However, now we must convert this into inches to complete our problem. Since we know 1 unit is 10

feet, and 1 foot is 12 inches, we will multiply 0.02 by 10 then by 12. 0.02x10 - .2, .2 x 12 is 2.4. Our

radius, in inches, is 2.4in. Now, we need to convert this into an area. The formula for area is A=πr^2.

So 2.4 squared is 5.76. That times π is about 18.1 so, the area of our FINAL tree will be 18.1 inches

squared.
Solution

We know that each tree starts at a circumference of 2.5 inches. We can convert this into radius

by using the formula r=C/2π. So, 2π is about 6.283; 2.5/6.283=.397. We can then plug this into our area

formula to get our area, which comes out as 0.5in squared. So, we will subtract that from 18.1 to get

17.6, then divide that by 1.5 to get the total amount of years it will take to cover the orchard. It will take

11.7 years to turn the orchard into a hideout.

Cover Letter

Discussion

In this unit, we learned three main subjects. Coordinate geometry, Circles π and triangles, and

proving answers. I’ll go more into depth on each of these topics and show examples of them being used

within my classwork.

We used coordinate geometry to find midpoint formulas, distance formulas, angle bisectors, and

perpendicular bisectors. Angle bisectors and perpendicular bisectors are both very essential to solving

our first POW, the sprinkler dilemma. When finding these bisectors, we look for the exact midpoint of

a line or half of an angle. An example of classwork that helped my understanding of midpoints and

midpoint formula was one of our honors assignments, “midpoint quadrilaterals”. While this wasn’t an

in-class worksheet, it furthered my understanding of the midpoint formula for a variety of different
shapes. When learning about distance formulas the problem “In, On, or Out?” was key to my

understanding. In this problem, we examined coordinates on a graph and used a distance formula to

find if they were inside or outside of a circle. Finally, another large part of coordinate geometry we

learned was how to find the distance between a point and a line. One piece of work I thought was

extremely helpful in my process of solving the unit problem used this. The classwork “perpendicular

and vertical” helped me understand that the radius of a circle touching a line is the shortest length from

the middle of that circle (a point) to the line. This relates to the radius of our trees and them touching

the line of sight.

We also learned circle formulas, right triangle trigonometry, Pythagorean theorem, similar triangles,

tangency, π, triangles incenters, and triangle circumcenters to help us solve the unit problem. To start,

the problem “cylindrical soda” really helped further my understanding of circles. In this classwork, we

had to use formulas to convert radius to circumference and area. These two parts of the problem stuck

with me and helped me solve the unit problem when it came to converting radius and circumference

into the area. A piece of work that we took on triangle incenters and triangle circumcenters was the

sprinkler dilemma. In this pow, I learned how to find the center of a triangle with a formula which

helped me solve and prove the POW question. While this, in particular, helped me solve this POW, I

did not find it particularly useful in solving the unit question.

The proof is one of if not the most important factors of thoroughly solving problems. It’s one thing to

have the right answer, but I believe the most valuable part of understanding a topic in math comes from

knowing why you got that answer and why it's correct. In this unit, all of our pows are great examples

of showing proof. Specifically, I think our first POW- the sprinkler dilemma- did a great job in helping
my understanding through proof. The proof was important in solving the unit problem because we can

prove we have the right answer and give a detailed explanation for why it’s right. I struggled a bit with

understanding this POW but still was able to come to the correct answer. It was not until I had to

explain my proof for my answer that I truly understood it.

Reflection

Overall, this unit has helped me make a strong connection between geometry and algebra. If you

were to tell me to explain the connection between these two subjects a few months ago I would have

answered with the Pythagorean theorem and nothing else. Now, I’ve made new connections that have

broadened my understanding of both topics. I’ve learned how to create formulas for shapes that are

solved with algebraic equations. Less on the mathematical side, this unit has been a great place for my

growth as a student socially. I’ve collaborated and worked with lots of new people I would have never

considered before. I was reading a college questionnaire I wrote about myself at the beginning of my

freshman year this week with the task of updating my answers. I found myself completely deleting

every answer I had about how I work as a collaborator. Two years ago, I would describe myself as

someone who works better isolated and does not want to collaborate unless I'm forced to. Now, these

things are my favorite part about math- and that’s mainly because of this unit.