Demba is sitting on a sled on the side of a hill inclined at 60°. The combined weight of Oomba and the sled is 170 pounds. What is the magnitude of the force required for Mandisa to keep the sled from sliding down the hill?
The magnitude of the force required to keep the sled from sliding down the is (lb)

(Type an integer or decimal rounded to three decimal places as needed)

d

step-by-step explanation:

d

we have three similar triangles, because each has a right angle and shares an angle.   let's write the angles in order: opposite to short leg, long leg, hypotenuse.

cab similar to bad similar to cbd

or as ratios,

ca: ab: cb = ba: ad: bd = cb: bd: cd

we also know

ac = ad + cd

(ad+cd): ab: cb = ba: ad: bd = cb: bd: cd

(ad+cd)/cb=cb/cd

we have cb=6, ad=5 and seek x=cd.

we reject the negative root and conclude x=4

answer: 4

the value of x is 28.2