A ramp's ground angle and right-triangle sides cue a sine ratio: the height across from that angle divided by the slanted side. Read those two lengths from the figure and reduce the fraction; no angle measure or calculator is needed. Rise over run uses the horizontal leg as the denominator, which gives tangent instead of sine.
Hints
- Hint 1
The hypotenuse is the side across from the right angle, even though it also touches angle . In the figure, which side is across from the right-angle marker, and which side is across from ?
- Hint 2
The sine ratio is the side opposite the angle divided by the hypotenuse. Don't put the horizontal run on the bottom of the fraction: from the ground angle, that side is adjacent, not the hypotenuse.
Step-by-step
Read the sides and use sine
Step 1Identify the sides from angle A
No Desmos needed. The figure gives both sides for sine, and their fraction reduces by one division. The right-angle marker is at , so the slanted ramp is the hypotenuse, the side across from the right angle. From at , the vertical rise is the opposite side because it sits across from .
- Step 2
Write the sine ratio
Sine means opposite divided by hypotenuse. Use the vertical rise over the slanted ramp: . The horizontal run is next to , so rise over run would give tangent instead.
- Step 3
Reduce the fraction
Both and are divisible by , so divide the top and bottom by : . Evaluate those divisions: . So the sine of the angle between the ramp and ground is . Choice A.