11. A skateboard ramp has a slope of 1/2. What is the angle the ramp makes with the ground to the nearest degree?

geometry: triangles

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call the larger triangle abc

then the smaller triangle cde is similar to abc (all angles are equal, aaa).  

ab is the side that is 36, and we wish to find de, the side corresponding to ab

area_cde = area_abc - area_cde --> area_abc / area_cde = 2

let x=length of de

ratio of areas = (ratio of sides)^2

+2+=+%2836%2fx%29%5e2+

+2+=+1296%2fx%5e2+

++x%5e2+=+1296%2f2+=+648+

25.45584

{x = -1/2 ,   y = -1

step-by-step explanation:

solve the following system:

{2 x + y = -2

{10 x - 3 y = -2

in the first equation, look to solve for y:

{2 x + y = -2

{10 x - 3 y = -2

subtract 2 x from both sides:

{y = -2 x - 2

{10 x - 3 y = -2

substitute y = -2 x - 2 into the second equation:

{y = -2 x - 2

{10 x - 3 (-2 x - 2) = -2

10 x - 3 (-2 x - 2) = (6 x + 6) + 10 x = 16 x + 6:

{y = -2 x - 2

{16 x + 6 = -2

in the second equation, look to solve for x:

{y = -2 x - 2

{16 x + 6 = -2

subtract 6 from both sides:

{y = -2 x - 2

{16 x = -8

divide both sides by 16:

{y = -2 x - 2

{x = -1/2

substitute x = -1/2 into the first equation:

{y = -1

{x = -1/2

collect results in alphabetical order:

answer:   {x = -1/2 ,   y = -1