POW 6 - On Patrol

Andrew Munroe

Problem Statement
The highway patrol needs to set up a patrol station that is equal distance from all highways.
Where can the station be set up so that it is equidistant from all lines?

Visual Representation(s)
Crossing, Intersections, Separate

Process:
Two Lines: The best place for a point where it will be equal distance from two line segments is
along the dotted bisector. The reason being is that the lines are a perpendicular bisector and if a
45-45-90 triangle is created by the dotted line than it is equidistant.

For the point that needs to be equidistant from three bisectors, I had to get a little creative in
how they crossed. If there are only two bisectors than they can be separated from each other or
together, however, once a third bisector is introduced, than at least two lines have to intersect. If
the lines intersect at their midpoints it is impossible to have a point equidistant from every
bisector. It seems that the general rule for these bisectors is that if two lines intersect with equal
angles than it is possible to have a point equidistant from them, as long as a third bisector is
attached in a way that the two original lines create equal angles with the third line. An example
is that if two bisectors cross and create a perpendicular bisector, like in the first image, than for
a point to be equidistant from three bisectors, the third bisector must intersect the original two
bisectors in a way that similar angles are created, such as in the third image and the forth.

Solution
A point can be equidistant from any two bisectors.
A point can be equidistant from any three bisectors as long as the first two intersect with the
third and create similar angles.
A point can be equidistant from any number of bisectors as long as they all share similar angles
and do not intersect at their midpoints.

Evaluation
I found this POW to be similar to the last one we did, Equally Wet, so I feel like I wasn’t invested
in the problem itself completely. I think I would change the wording of this problem, as when I
was reading it, I was confused on what it was asking. It seemed very vague. I don’t think this
POW was super challenging because, again, it didn’t involve any mathematics. I still think it was
a good problem to work on for learning about angles and distances, however, I do feel like there
might have been a better problem.

Self-Assessment
As I am not 100% sure about my answer, I feel that I deserve a average or low A. I feel like I did
the work and provided a complete answer and therefore deserve an A, however, I do not know
the accuracy of my answer so that should lower the final grade if it is indeed incorrect. I feel like
by thinking critically and providing context to my answers could be the makings of a high A, but
that is up to the discretion of the teacher.