A Painting in an Art Gallery Has Height $h$ And Is Hung So That Lower Edge Is a Distance

question 29

Multiple Choice

A painting in an art gallery has height $h$ and is hung so that lower edge is a distance $d$ above the eye of an observer (as in the figure) . How far from the wall should the observer stand to get the best view? (In other words, where should the observer stand so as to maximize the angle $\theta$ subtended at his eye by the painting?)

• A) \(x = \sqrt { h ( d + h ) }\)
• B) \(x = h ^ { 2 } ( h + d ) ^ { 2 }\)
• C) \(x = d ^ { 2 } ( h + d ) ^ { 2 }\)
• D) \(x = \sqrt { d ( h + d ) }\)
• E) \(x = h ^ { 2 } ( h - d ) ^ { 2 }\)