Question

A 12-foot board rests against a wall. The angle that the board makes with the ground is 60°. How far is the base of the board away from the wall? Select the correct trig ratio and distance from wall.

Answer 1

A. cos 60° = ; x = 6 feet

Explanation:

apex

Answer 2

6 feet

Explanation:

The length of the board, 12 feet, will be the hypotenuse of the right triangle. The measure of the distance from the board to the wall will be the unknown leg. This is adjacent to the 60° angle. This gives us the ratio

adjacent/hypotenuse, which is the ratio for cosine. This gives us the equation

cos 60 = x/12

Multiply both sides by 12:

12(cos 60) = (x/12)(12)

12(cos 60) = x

6 = x

The board is 6 feet from the wall.