Golden Gate
Bridge
Real World Quadratic Activity
By: Tracey LeNeveu
P. 3
Algebra 2
History
The actual portion of the bridge that is
the ‘golden gate’ is the strait the bridge spans.
It was originally named Chrysopylae by Captain
John C. Fremont in 1846. Chrysopylae meant
Golden Gate. After completion in 1937 the
Golden Gate Bridge was the longest bridge until
New York built the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in
1964.
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Facts about the
Bridge
Total length of the Bridge: 8,981 feet
Middle span: 4,200 feet
Width: 90 feet
Clearance from the Water: 220 feet
Weight originally: 894,500 tons
Weight now with new materials: 887,000
tons
Facts about the
They are: Towers
– 764 feet from the water
– 500 feet from the roadway
The legs are:
– 33 x 54 feet
– 44,000 tons each in weight
– and have 600,000 rivets each.
The Equation
Y = .0001134x²
Graph
Follow up Questions
• What are the transformations of your graph
from the parent function? The only
transformation is being widened by a factor
of .001134
• Does your graph have a maximum or
minimum? If so, what is it? What does this
mean in regards to your example? There is no
maximum and the minimum is zero. It just
means that the graph doesn’t extend forever.
• What is the axis of symmetry (AOS) And what is
it for your example? The axis of symmetry is the
line vertically in the graph that the points reflect
over. For my example the AOS is the y-axis.
• If you moved your graph 250 feet up, what
would be your new equation? Create a scenario
that could represent this change. The equation
would become y= .0001134x² + 250. And a
scenario that could represent this change would
be the water level going way down and the
amount of space between the bridge and the
water would increase.
• where else have you seen parabolas in your
surroundings? There are parabolas in signs and
household items. Such as the McDonalds sign
and home décor items.