The ferris wheel has a 50 ft diameter. How far does it travel if it only completes a half rotation?

When the Ferris wheel completes a half rotation, it travels along the circumference of a semicircle. The formula to calculate the circumference of a circle is \(C = πd\), where \(d\) is the diameter. For a Ferris wheel with a diameter of 50 ft, the circumference is \(C = π \times 50 \approx 157.08\) ft. Since it's only completing half a rotation, the distance traveled would be roughly 78.54 ft. If you want to visualize this, imagine starting at the bottom of the wheel at zero feet. As it rotates halfway up, you’re essentially traversing one full side of a circular journey, making that trip just about as long as over two lengths of a standard school bus! So, hop on and enjoy the ride!