Question

A construction crew is building a two story house, but they have not built the staircase between the floor yet. The height of the staircase is 12 feet, the base of the stairs will be 6 feet from the wall. How long does the temporary ramp need to be to the nearest tenth of a foot?

Answer 1

13.4feet

Explanation:

The set up forms a right triangle.

Given

Height of the staircase h = 12 feet

Base of the stairs b = 6feet

Required

Length of the ramp l

Using the pythagoras theorem

l² = h² + b²

l² = 12²+6²

l² = 144 + 36

l² = 180

l = √180

l = 13.42 feet

Hence the length of the ramp to the nearest tenth is 13.4feet