To help racecar drivers safely negotiate turns, racetracks are banked at the curves. At one location, a 58 ft track is banked su
ch that the highest point on the track is 23.6 ft above ground level. The cross section of the track is in the shape of a right triangle, as shown below. What is the width of the base of this cross section? A. 34.4 ft B. 53.0 ft C. 62.6 ft D. 81.6 ft
If you draw a picture of the cross section, you will have a right triangle. The hypotenuse is 58 and one of the legs is 23.6. All you have to do is use the Pythagorean Theorem and solve for the missing side.
