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A rail one mile long is lying on the ground. If you push its ends closer together by a single foot, so that the distance between them is 5279 feet rather than 5280, how high an arc will the rail make?

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Surprisingly (to me), the arc will be more than 44 feet high.

See Waistline.

October 25, 2011January 29, 2013 | Puzzles · Science & Math

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