Question

A skateboarding ramp is 12in. high and rises at an angle of 17 degrees. How long is the base of the ramp? Round to the nearest inch.

Answer 1

Starting with a good picture is crucial:
Now, since we know that the angles of any triangle add up to 180, we can add the other angle:
Now, we need to do a little trig. We could use the law of sines, which says:
\[A/\sin a = B/\sin b\] Plugging in our values, we get:
\[\frac{ 12 }{ \sin 17 }=\frac{ x }{ \sin 73 }\] Rearranging, we find:
\[x= (\sin 73)(12) / \sin 17 = 39.25 inches\]

Answer 2

Thank you!

Answer 3

No problem, glad I could help.