Question

you are going to use an incline plane to lift a heavy object to the top of a shelving unit with a height of 5 ft. the base of the incline plane is 14 ft from the shelving unit. what is the length of the incline plane? (this figure is not drawn to scale.) the length of the incline plane is about (square) ft. (round to the nearest tenth as needed.)

Explanation:

Step1: Identify right triangle sides

The vertical side $a=5$ ft, horizontal side $b=14$ ft. The incline is the hypotenuse $c$.

Step2: Apply Pythagorean theorem

$$c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}$$
Substitute values:
$$c = \sqrt{5^2 + 14^2} = \sqrt{25 + 196} = \sqrt{221}$$

Step3: Calculate and round result

$\sqrt{221} \approx 14.866$
Round to nearest tenth: $14.9$

Answer:

14.9