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Question

A straight road leads from an ocean beach into the nearby hills. The road has a constant upward grade of 7°. After taking this road from the beach for a mile and a quarter, how high above sea level are you in feet?

Answer 1

A straight road leads from an ocean beach into the nearby hills. The road has a constant upward grade of 7°. After taking this road from the beach for a mile and a quarter, how high above sea level are you in feet?

 

First, convert 1.25 miles to feet

 

(1.25 miles)(5280 feet/mile) = 6600 feet

 

The 6600 feet of road is along the hypotenuse sloping up at 7^o.  The height is the side opposite the 7^o.

 

sin(7^o) = opposite/hypotenuse = height/distance = h/6600

 

Solve for h.