SOLUTION: The access ramp to an expressway is 850 feet long. The measure of the angle of elevation is 4 degrees.About how long is the expressway from the horizontal at the beginning of the r

Algebra ->  Radicals -> SOLUTION: The access ramp to an expressway is 850 feet long. The measure of the angle of elevation is 4 degrees.About how long is the expressway from the horizontal at the beginning of the r      Log On


   

Question 39193: The access ramp to an expressway is 850 feet long. The measure of the angle of elevation is 4 degrees.About how long is the expressway from the horizontal at the beginning of the ramp?
Answer by Nate(3500) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Look at this as a right triangle. The hypotenuse is 850ft. The small angle at the beginning of the ramp is 4 degrees. Use the TRIG function: cosine.
Cos(4*) = (x/850)
850(Cos(4*)) = x
The length is about 848ft.