Final answer:
Using the sine function, the height at the highest end of the skateboard ramp with a 17-degree angle of elevation and a length of 18 inches is approximately 5.3 inches from the ground.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question concerns finding the height of a skateboard ramp using trigonometry.
To find the height at which the ramp will rise from the ground at its highest end, we can use the sine of the angle of elevation.
Given the length of the ramp (18 inches) and the angle of elevation (17 degrees), we use the formula:
height = length × sin(angle)
In this case, it would be:
height = 18 × sin(17°)
We can use a calculator to find the sine of 17 degrees and then multiply it by 18 inches to get the height. Don't forget to round to the nearest tenth if necessary.
Assuming we have the sine of 17 degrees as approximately 0.2924, the calculation would be:
height = 18 × 0.2924
≈ 5.2632 inches
So, the highest end of the skateboard ramp will rise approximately 5.3 inches from the ground.