Math Review Help

Question

A skateboard ramp will have a height of 12 in. and the angle formed between the ramp and the ground is 30 degrees. To the nearest inch, what will be the length L, of the ramp?

Answer 1

The sine function gives you the opposite over the hypotenuse. The hypotenuse is the length of the ramp.

So, sin(30) = 12 / L.

But we need to isolate L.

So start by multiplying both sides by L.

This yields L * sin(30) = 12.

Then, divide both sides by sin(30).

This yields L = 12 / sin(30).

Sin(30) = 1/2 or 0.5, so 12 / 0.5 = 24 inches.