Question

A ramp into a building forms a 6° angle with the ground. If the ramp is 8 feet long, how far away from the building is the entry point of the ramp? Round the solution to the nearest hundredth.

Answer 1

7.96 ft

Explanation:

Given;

Length of ramp L = 8 ft

Angle with the horizontal (ground) = 6°

Applying trigonometry;

With the length of ramp as the hypothenuse,

The horizontal distance d as the adjacent to angle 6°

Since we want to calculate the adjacent and we have the hypothenuse and the angle. We can apply cosine;

Cosθ = adjacent/hypothenuse

Substituting the values;

Cos6° = d/8

d = 8cos6°

d = 7.956175162946

d = 7.96 ft

The building is 7.96ft away from the entry point of the ramp.