crystal wants to build a ramp that will rise 4ft over a horizontal distance of 20ft. how long will the ramp be? round to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

Use the Pythagorean Theorem.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2
4^2 + 20^2 = c^2
16 + 400 = c^2
416 = c^2
c = sqrt 416
c = 20.4

If you draw a picture, you'll end up with a right triangle, and the two shorter sides are a and b, and the hypotenuse (long side) is c.

Do you get it?