Calculation Tip: Match each variable with the corresponding value.

It's moving day, and you are helping to load boxes onto the moving truck. To get into the truck, you will need a ramp. The length of the ramp is related to the height of the truck bed and how far the truck is from the front door.

If you have an eight-foot ramp, and the truck bed is two feet above the ground, how far from the door should the truck park?



Answer :

Sure, let's solve this step by step with the given information.

1. Understand the Problem:
- You have a right triangle formed by the ramp, the height of the truck bed, and the distance from the door to the bottom of the ramp.
- The length of the ramp (the hypotenuse of the triangle) is 8 feet.
- The height of the truck bed (one leg of the triangle) is 2 feet.
- We need to find the distance from the door to the truck (the other leg of the triangle).

2. Use the Pythagorean Theorem:
- The Pythagorean Theorem states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the legs is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.
- Mathematically, this is represented as:
[tex]\[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \][/tex]
where \( c \) is the hypotenuse, and \( a \) and \( b \) are the legs.

3. Assign the Variables:
- Let \( c = 8 \) feet (the length of the ramp).
- Let \( a = 2 \) feet (the height of the truck bed).
- Let \( b \) be the distance from the door to the truck that we need to find.

4. Rearrange the Pythagorean Theorem to Solve for \( b \):
[tex]\[ b^2 = c^2 - a^2 \][/tex]

5. Plug in the Known Values:
[tex]\[ b^2 = 8^2 - 2^2 \][/tex]

6. Calculate the Squares:
[tex]\[ 8^2 = 64 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ 2^2 = 4 \][/tex]

7. Subtract to Find \( b^2 \):
[tex]\[ b^2 = 64 - 4 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ b^2 = 60 \][/tex]

8. Take the Square Root to Find \( b \):
[tex]\[ b = \sqrt{60} \][/tex]

9. Simplify the Square Root:
[tex]\[ \sqrt{60} \approx 7.746 \][/tex]

So, the distance from the door to where the truck should park is approximately [tex]\( 7.746 \)[/tex] feet.

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