Question

You are building a ramp that must cover a horizontal distanceof exactly 19 feet. The angle of the ramp from the ground is25°. Determine the length of the ramp, in feet.

Answer 1

The above drawing describes the situation.

By definition

$\cos (angle)=\frac{\text{ adjacent side}}{\text{ hypotenuse}}$

From the picture

$\begin{gathered} \cos (25^o)=\frac{19}{x} \\ \cos (25^o)\cdot x=19 \\ x=\frac{19}{\cos (25^o)} \\ x=21\text{ ft} \end{gathered}$