SOLUTION: Jason is attempting to rest a piece of wood on a cement ball so that the angle of elevation of the resulting ramp is exactly 18 degrees. Jason draws the sketch below to model this

Algebra ->  Formulas -> SOLUTION: Jason is attempting to rest a piece of wood on a cement ball so that the angle of elevation of the resulting ramp is exactly 18 degrees. Jason draws the sketch below to model this       Log On


   

Question 970770: Jason is attempting to rest a piece of wood on a cement ball so that the angle of elevation of the resulting ramp is exactly 18 degrees. Jason draws the sketch below to model this situation. He labels the point of tangency between the ramp and the cement ball, A, the center of the ball, B, and the point of tangency between the flat ground and the ball, C, and the point where the ramp will touch the ground, D. If the radius of the cement ball is 21 inches, find the distance between points C and D so the damp will have the desired angle of elevation. Round your answer the the nearest inch.
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Hint: Draw out the picture to get

Then erase all of the extra unneeded parts of the drawing and you will be left with this



The ultimate goal is to find the value of x (the length of CD)