A beam rests against a wall, forming a 65° with the floor. Use the function y = 9 sec θ to find the length of the beam to the nearest tenth of a foot.

A. 8.2 ft
B. 21.3 ft
C. 9.9 ft
D. 18.7 ft

1 answer

First, we need to find the value of θ in degrees. Since the beam forms a 65° angle with the floor, θ = 90° - 65° = 25°.

Next, we substitute this value of θ into the function y = 9 sec θ:

y = 9 sec(25°)
y = 9 * (1/cos(25°))
y = 9 * (1/0.9063)
y = 9 * 1.1016
y = 9.9145

Therefore, the length of the beam is approximately 9.9 feet.

So, the answer is: C. 9.9 ft