Question

Find the horizontal distance needed for the ramp. Round to the nearest hundredth (2 decimal places).
84ft and 4.8

Answer 1

To find the horizontal distance needed for a ramp (often referred to as the "run"), we typically use the ramp's height (rise) and the angle or the slope. However, your message does not specify an angle or the context clearly.

If we are assuming the rise of the ramp is 84 ft and the ramp's length is given as 4.8 ft, we can apply the Pythagorean theorem to find the horizontal distance (run).

Using the Pythagorean theorem:
\[
\text{length}^2 = \text{rise}^2 + \text{run}^2
\]

Here, the length of the ramp is \( 4.8 \) ft, and the rise (height) is \( 84 \) ft.

We need to rearrange the formula to find the run:
\[
\text{run}^2 = \text{length}^2 - \text{rise}^2
\]

Substituting the values:
\[
\text{run}^2 = 4.8^2 - 84^2
\]
\[
\text{run}^2 = 23.04 - 7056
\]
\[
\text{run}^2 = -7032.96
\]

Since you can't have a negative number when calculating the distance, this indicates that the length of the ramp (4.8 ft) is too short given the rise of 84 ft.

The ramp cannot have a physical representation with a rise of 84 ft if the length is only 4.8 ft. You will need a longer ramp to achieve that height.

If you meant something different with the numbers provided, please clarify!