Question

Jake plans to use a ramp to make it easier to move a piano out of the back of his truck. The back of the truck is 83 centimeters tall and the ramp is 158 centimeters long.

What is the horizontal distance from the end of the ramp to the back of the truck?
Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.

Answer 1

We can use the Pythagorean theorem to solve this problem:

Let x be the horizontal distance from the end of the ramp to the back of the truck.

Then, according to the Pythagorean theorem:

x^2 + 83^2 = 158^2

Simplifying:

x^2 = 158^2 - 83^2

x^2 = 19844

x ≈ 140.9 cm (rounded to the nearest tenth of a centimeter)

Therefore, the horizontal distance from the end of the ramp to the back of the truck is approximately 140.9 cm.