1011+Mr.+Soskil's+Mathematical+Travels

=Mr. Soskil's Mathematical Travels= As I travel, I will post problems that I come across here on this page. When you find an answer, post it below the question in ** colored text ** (not black). Make sure that you use correct grammar and include your name with your answer. If someone has already posted an answer, and you believe they are wrong, post your answer below theirs in a different color. __//**Please make sure to explain why your answer is correct and/or how you got it.**//__

Question #1
The airline I'm flying on (AirTran) charges $20 for me to check a bag. I'm too cheap to pay that, so I'm going to carry on a piece of luggage instead. I looked up the size limit that AirTran has for carry on luggage [|here] and found that the luggage needs to be less than or equal to 55 linear inches in length. (If you add the height, the width, and the length of the luggage, the sum has to be less than or equal to 55 inches). This got me to wondering...

What size would my luggage have to be for me to fit the most stuff in it, and still be allowed to carry it on the plane? In other words, what is the biggest volume (in cubic inches) that my luggage could be and still be allowed to be carried onto the plane?

Question #2
My plane leaves at 1:59 PM tomorrow. The airline suggests that I get to the airport at least 1 hour before the flight departs. I live in Newfoundland, and I'm flying out of Westchester County Airport (HPN). Also, factor in that I'm probably going to stop for Starbucks on the way (about 10 min.) and it may take up to 20 min to find a parking spot at the airport. Use on-line tools like [|mapquest] or [|google maps] to figure out what time I need to leave my house in order to be on-time for my plane.

Question #3:
I'm waiting here at the Weschester County Airport, and they just announced over the speaker that I can upgrade my seats to First Class for $69 per ticket. Since I'm too nice to leave my wife in coach while I fly in the fancy seats, I'd have to upgrade both of us, or neither.

The problem I have is that my carry-on luggage handle (the part that allows you to pull the luggage on wheels) is broken. I just noticed when I got here. I'm going to have to buy a new piece of luggage before flying home. I don't think this piece will last to Disney and back. And buying a piece of carry-on luggage at Disney isn't going to be cheap.

My budget for spending money is only $300 for the trip. Can I afford to get the seat upgrades and buy a new piece of luggage at Disney? Remember the size restrictions I listed in problem #1. I don't want to have to pay to check my bag. You (and I) will have to do some research ([|Check here for the luggage Disney sells]) into how much Disney sells luggage for in the resort gift shops. If it helps, we're staying at Disney's Boardwalk resort.

Question #4:
I've always wondered how fast planes fly. Let's figure it out. My plane is scheduled to take off here (Westchester County Airport - HPN) at 1:59. We have a scheduled landing in Orlando at 4:45.

Using Google Earth to measure the distance (remember, planes don't travel on roads, so Mapquest and Google Maps won't help here), find the average speed my plane will be traveling.

Question #5
I upgraded my tickets to Annual Passes today. Disney offers a "Tables in Wonderland" card to Annual Passholders for $75. After you pay $75, you get a card that gives you a 20% discount on all sit-down dining at Disney World for a year. How much would I have to spend on sit-down dining to save back the $75 it would cost me to buy the card?

Question # 6:
Today we're going to Disney's Hollywood studios. Our first 3 rides will be Toy Story Midway Mania!, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Rock n' Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith. The last two are thrill rides.

I got to thinking, "On which thrill ride will I travel further?" That's your question to figure out. Here's some info for you:
 * The Tower of Terror features two to four 13 story drops. You drop, then go back up, then drop again. It's a random sequence and no set number of drops, so you'll have to estimate a bit here.
 * The Rock n' Roller Coaster launches you from 0 to 57 mph in about 2.8 seconds, but the average speed is about 25 miles per hour. The ride lasts about 60 seconds.

Question #7:
We are thinking of taking the Epcot Gardens of the World Tour tomorrow. The booklet we have says that the tour costs $59 including tax. Florida State Tax is 6%. How much of that $59 is the cost of the tour, and how much is state sales tax?

Question #8:
On the monorail to the Magic Kingdom today the announcer said that each Disney monorail holds 300 guests. At the monorail station they announced that monorails run every 10 minutes on average when it's busy.

Ferryboats also bring guests to the Magic Kingdom. They hold 650 guests and run every 20 minutes.

About 1 out of every 4 guests to the Magic Kingdom does not arrive by either ferry nor monorail. These guests arrive on busses from Disney resorts.

It is estimated that the Magic Kingdom can hold 100,000 people. During the most busy times of year, about how long would it take with the monorails, ferries, and busses bringing full loads of guests before the park has to close because it's full?

Question #9:
Well, I made it home. But the flight home was terrible. Because of a mistake by the airline, my wife and I were split up and I was placed in the last seat on the plane in the back corner by the bathrooms. There was no window, no leg room, and lots of bad smells. The flight was very bumpy, and without a window to look out, it made me a bit sick to my stomach. Luckily, I was not nearly as sick to my stomach as the girl sitting in my row in the aisle seat. She threw up all over the floor and all over her hat. (More bad smells). I felt bad for the guy sitting next to me, who was also next to the puker. And I got to thinking...


 * //If your seat is assigned randomly, what are the chances (the probability) that you are unlucky enough to sit next to the one person who throws up on a plane?//** Here's the info you need for this one:
 * There were three rows of first class on the plane (rows 1-3). Each first-class row had 2 seats on each side of the aisle.
 * The coach seats were rows 10-31. Each coach row had two seats on one side of the aisle, and three seats on the other side.
 * Nobody knows what happened to rows 4-9. They weren't on the plane. Maybe they were lost in the Bermuda Triangle or the Twilight Zone...
 * Remember, some people on a plane sit next to only 1 person (those with window or aisle seats), and some sit next to 2 people (those with middle seats, like the guy in my row who was stuck between me and Hurly Shirley.

Question #10:
Last question from my trip: After my plane landed, we took the shuttle back to our car and left to come home at exactly 2:00PM. The car was parked in Armonk, NY. I fell asleep on the drive home, still not feeling well from the events (and smells) of the flight. When I woke up, we were just pulling into Newfoundland. The time was 4:02PM. I said to my wife, "Wow, that was fast." She said, "Nope. I drove my normal speed."

That got me to thinking, "What's my wife's normal speed?" Using [|Mapquest] or [|Google Maps], find my wife's average speed in Miles per Hour on our drive home.