Question

a wheelchair ramp is being built to reach a porch that is 3 feet off the ground. the ramp starts 4 feet away from the base of the porch, as shown. what is the approximate length of the ramp? 5ft 3.5ft 7ft 6ft

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

The ramp forms a right - triangle with height \(a = 3\) ft and base \(b=4\) ft. The Pythagorean theorem is \(c^{2}=a^{2}+b^{2}\), where \(c\) is the length of the hypotenuse (ramp).
Substitute \(a = 3\) and \(b = 4\) into the formula: \(c^{2}=3^{2}+4^{2}\).

Step2: Calculate \(a^{2}+b^{2}\)

\(3^{2}=9\) and \(4^{2}=16\). Then \(c^{2}=9 + 16=25\).

Step3: Solve for \(c\)

Take the square root of both sides. Since \(c>0\), \(c=\sqrt{25}=5\).

Answer:

5 ft