According to a new safety regulation, the maximum angle of elevation for a rescue ladder is 70 degrees. A fire department’s longest rescue is 40 m long. What is the maximum safe height that the ladder can reach?
2006-11-03 08:55:47 · 3 answers · asked by mizz.dhillon 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Angle of elevation should be that raised from the ground until it is vertical (90 degrees), correct? The wall which the ladder is placed against will have a vertical face (90 degrees). The ladder, therefore, represents the hypotenuse of the triangle so formed.
Cosine is the length of the adjacent sided divided by the hypotenuse. So cos 70 = X/40 or 40*(cos 70) = X.
With me so far?
Once you have X, you have the hypotenuse and 1 side of a right angle triangle and finally a use for Pythagoras's theorem the square on the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares on the other 2 sides.
Can you do the rest of the arithmetic? I hope this problem was in Trigonometry, otherwise I have given you the wrong way to solve it. But it is the easier way.
2006-11-03 09:10:14 · answer #1 · answered by St N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How are you going to learn anything having folks on here do your homework for you? Look it up and figure it out! The teacher doesn't care about the right answer he/she wants to see if you have the formula to come up with an answer down pat! But the right answer will get you more score, for sure!
2006-11-03 09:06:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use trig, specifically the sin function.
2006-11-03 09:09:05 · answer #3 · answered by Grover 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋