SOLUTION: A street has a parallel curbs 40 feet apart. A crosswalk bounded by two parallel stripes crosses the street at an angle. The length of the curb between the stripes is 15 feet and

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Question 333017: A street has a parallel curbs 40 feet apart. A crosswalk bounded by two parallel
stripes crosses the street at an angle. The length of the curb between the stripes
is 15 feet and each stripe is 50 feet long. Find the distance between the stripes.
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A street has a parallel curbs 40 feet apart.
A crosswalk bounded by two parallel stripes crosses the street at an angle.
The length of the curb between the stripes is 15 feet and each stripe is 50 feet long.
Find the distance between the stripes. Let this distance = a
:
If you draw this out, you will see a right triangle formed by the distance
between the curbs (40') and one of the stripes (50)'which is the hypotenuse.
Find the angle (A) made by the stripe with the curb using the sine.
Sin(A) =
A = 53.13 degrees
:
Another right triangle is formed by the curb distance between the stripes (15')
and a perpendicular line (a) between the stripes, which is the distance between them.
Sine of the same angle
Sin(53.13) =
=
Cross multiply
5a = 4(15)
5a = 60
a =
a = 12 ft between the stripes