Try this question only if you are really good in maths and you dont need complex formulas for this?

You are to measure the length of a lotus plant from the bottom of the lake till the top of the flower.You are given a scale but you are not allowed to immerse it in water or uproot the plant or use any sort of other equipment.(This question has a logical answer.)

Try this question only if you are really good in maths and you dont need complex formulas for this?
You need to use Pythagorean theorem.


Measure the lenght of the lotus plant which is above the water.(X)


Bend the plant to any one side until it is just submerged under the surface of water.


Measure the Dist. between the initial and final positions of the plant(Y)(i.e. the initial position and final position where it is submerged)





Let the actual lenght be L.


Then (L x L) = (Y x Y) + (L - X)(L - X)
Reply:this problem is very obvious and simple. i can't believe only 2 person can answer it. Report It

Reply:Radar is the way to test depth of oceans. Estate agents uee the same principle to measure rooms.





Bounce a signal off the bottom and the time it takes to be received back again tells you (twice) the depth.
Reply:I am not that great in math, but I would use the scale and measure around the lake at the lowest level and the highest level and subtract. Like 3,300 lowest - 3,000 highest =3,000. Is that correct?
Reply:Lotus plants can't grow but so tall, so it can't be that deep of a lake. So get in yourself and stand next to it. Get out, measure how far up you got wet, and voila!
Reply:Use anotehr scale which you are allowed to immerse in water, or use something else, which you immerse in water ant then measure the depth of the lake, and add on the additional height of the flower above the lake and there you have your answer.





I am also sure if you wanted to get technical you could drop a stone or something into the water and if it were possible to time how long it took to reach the bottom using some clever mechanics you could work out the depth of the water and continue as previous.
Reply:Pull the plug out and drain the lake (try to save the fish %26amp; put them back later), measure the lotus plant.
Reply:Yes, there is a way to do it mathematicaly (though practically , you'd have problems):


Let y = the unknown length of the plant below water


let x = the measured distance of the the plant (held taut) above the water. You wish to determine x+y, so you must determine y. Holding the plant taut you bend the plant until the top of the plant just breaks the plane of the water at point p. The scale is used to measure the horizontal distance d from where the plant broke the water, while vertical, to point p. Now, from the pythagorean theorem you have y^2 + d^2 = (x+y)^2 Since you know x and d, you can solve for y and determine x+y.
Reply:know how deep the water in the lake and then measure how tall the flower is abouve the water, add it up
Reply:It's easy, a lotus is generally circular, so measure it's mean diameter, you didn't say that I've to measure the height, just the length, so where is the question of the scale getting wet?
Reply:i think lotus plant cant be measured without immersing the scale in water