Solve the problem.
-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 13 feet and the height from the ground to the front doors is 4 feet, how long is the ramp?
(Round to the nearest tenth.)
A) 13.6 ft
B) 12.4 ft
C) 4.1 ft
D) 5.7 ft

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ramp forms the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle, with the distance from the building to the end of the ramp (13 feet) and the height from the ground to the front doors (4 feet) forming the other two sides. Using the Pythagorean theorem, $c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}$, where $c$ is the length of the hypotenuse, $a = 13$ feet, and $b = 4$ feet. Thus, $c = \sqrt{13^2 + 4^2} = \sqrt{169 + 16} = \sqrt{185}$, which is approximately 13.6 feet when rounded to the nearest tenth.

Solve the Problem. -A Building Has a Ramp to Its Front Doors to Front