math word problem

Question

define variables, write an equation, and then use the equation in the solving process.
 

A building has a ramp to its front doors to accommodate the handicapped. If the distance from the building to the end of the ramp is 20 feet and the height from the ground to the front doors is 7 feet, how long is the ramp?

Answer 1

|\

|   \  r = ramp length

|7    \

---------

  20

 

Since we have a right triangle and know two of the sides, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to solve this:

a² + b² = c²

7² + 20² = r²

I'll leave you to solve for r from here.