Question

What is the rise of a roof if the span is 30 ft and the rafter length is 16 ft?

Answer 1

Make a right triangle and use the Pythagorean Theorem. Half the span, 15 feet, is a, the rafter length is the hypotenuse, c, and the rise is the other leg, b. So\[a ^{2}+b ^{2}=c ^{2}, 15^{2}+b ^{2}=16^{2} then solve for b\]