Question

A skateboard ramp is 40 feet long and rises from the ground at an angle of 33 degrees. How tall is the ramp?

Answer 1

The ramp is 21.8 ft tall.

Explanation:

If you convert this into a triangle, 40 ft is the hypotenuse, 33° is the angle next to the right angle (on the horizontal line) and we need to find how tall the ramp is, which will be x. It is very helpful to draw a picture.

We will use the sine ratio because, starting from the given degree of 33, we have the hypotenuse value and need to find the value opposite the degree:

`sine=(opposite)/(hypotenuse)`

Insert values:

`sin33=(x)/(40)`

Multiply 40 to both sides to isolate the variable:

`40(sin33)=40((x)/(40))\\\\40*sin33=x\\\\x=40*sin33`

Insert the value of x into a calculator:

`x=21.7855614`

Round if necessary:

`x=21.8 ft`

Done.