Math 148 Au2006
OSU Marion
Dr. Maharry

Get Extra Credit in Math 148 Au06 from Dr. Maharry

2 points (up to a max of 20 points for the class) for each nice example of a Real-Life word problem that you have found. A web lnk is nice, but not necessary. If you can tie it into something we're working on in class, that is even better.
2 points (up to a maximum of 10 points for the class) for each nicely written solution to someone else's problem you found on this page. Hand it in to me or email it to me at maharry@math.ohio-state.edu

Problem 4

New Orleans water draining faster than expected

By Reuters | September 10, 2005

U.S. officials overseeing the draining of New Orleans Saturday cut in half the time they expect it will take to bail out the water-logged city.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Dan Hitchings said the work could now be complete by Oct. 18, about 40 days after pumping began.

The corps originally estimated it could take up to 80 days to dry out portions of the city which were flooded after Hurricane Katrina hit Aug. 29 and protective levees gave way.

Saturday, 74 portable and stationary pumps were operating in the city, pumping more than 11,000 cubic feet per second of putrid storm water out of neighborhoods that have been submerged for more than 10 days. During normal operations, the city has 174 pumps keeping the city dry.

Unseasonably dry weather following the hurricane and additional pumps prompted officials to revise their timetable.

Here's the question:

Using the above information, and assuming that the average depth of the flood in the flooded areas was 10 feet, can you figure out the approximate area of the the flooded region (in square feet). You can set up a linear equation to solve it. How long would it take to pump out the water if all 174 of the pumps were running?

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