Question 32·Medium·Right Triangles and Trigonometry
A wheelchair ramp forms a right triangle with the ground. For every 12 feet of horizontal run, the ramp rises 5 feet. The length of the ramp (the slanted side) is 26 feet.
Let be the angle the ramp makes with the ground at the bottom of the ramp. Which choice is the value of ?
When a right-triangle situation gives a rise/run ratio, treat it as a pair of proportional legs and look for a Pythagorean triple (here --). Then scale to the given hypotenuse (or leg) and finally apply the requested trig ratio (for sine, opposite over hypotenuse).
Hints
Identify the sides in terms of the ramp
The “rise” is the vertical leg, the “run” is the horizontal leg, and the ramp itself is the hypotenuse.
Use the given rise/run ratio
Treat the rise and run as proportional to and to form a smaller similar right triangle.
Find the hypotenuse of the similar triangle
Use the Pythagorean theorem with and to determine the hypotenuse of the similar triangle.
Compute the sine ratio
Scale the similar triangle to match hypotenuse , then use .
Desmos Guide
Confirm the scaled rise
Enter 26/13 to get the scale factor, then enter 5*(26/13) to get the rise.
Compute the sine ratio
Enter (5*(26/13))/26 to compute as a decimal.
Match to a fraction choice
Convert the decimal to a fraction (or simplify the ratio by hand) and select the matching option.
Step-by-step Explanation
Translate the ramp description into a right-triangle ratio
A rise of 5 feet for every 12 feet of run means the vertical leg and horizontal leg are in the ratio .
Find the corresponding hypotenuse ratio and scale to the actual ramp
A right triangle with legs and has hypotenuse because .
Since the actual hypotenuse is , the scale factor is , so the actual rise is .
Set up
Angle is at the bottom, so the side opposite is the rise, and the hypotenuse is the ramp length. Thus,
Simplify
So the correct choice is .