Carolyn B.

asked • 04/11/16

Geometry measurements?

You are asked to construct a ramp going into your front door. The bottom of the door is 3 feet from the ground. The ramp must be at least 8 feet long. How far will the bottom of the ramp be from the door?
 
I have to show work? please explain the steps of this so i can understand. thanks
 
The bottom of the ramp will be   ___    from the door.

John S.

This is a right triangle.
 
The hypotenuse is the ramp length (8 feet). The ramp height is 3 ft. The other leg is the distance of the door.
 
Using the Pythagorean theorem, a^2 + b^2 = c^2
 
In this case, a and c  are given.
 
So solving for b, c^2 - a^2= b^2
 
8^2 - 3^2= b^2
64 - 9 = b^2
55=b^2
b=sqrt(55)=7.42
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04/11/16

1 Expert Answer

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Victoria W. answered • 04/11/16

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7.42 feet
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Carolyn B.

How did you get that answer?
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04/11/16

Victoria W.

The first step is to draw a picture based on the information given in the word problem.  Based on the picture, you can tell that this is a right triangle and you must use the pathagorean thereom to solve as shown above.  I love geometry, and am very good at breaking the problem down into easy steps to solve.  Please reach out to me if you need any other help, and I promise I will go through all the steps next time.  I am also available as a tutor if interested!
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04/11/16

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