Question

10) A wheelchair ramp is getting built at the entrance of a building. The ramp will be 25 feet long from front

to back with a total rise of 1.5 feet. For the ramp to comply with state regulations, its angle of elevation
must be at most 5º. Does this ramp comply with the regulations? Draw and label an appropriate diagram
and explain your answer. [4 points]

Answer 1

The angle complies with the state regulations.

Explanation:

The angle of elevation is the angle
`\theta` in the figure, and from trigonometry we find that

`sin(\theta) = (1.5ft)/(25ft)`

taking the inverse sine of both sides we get

`\theta = sin^(-1)((1.5ft)/(25ft))`

which gives

`\theta = 3.44^o`

which is less than 5°, and therefore is well within the state regulations.