The sine function is a fundamental concept in trigonometry. It relates the angles of a right triangle to the ratio of specific sides within the triangle. For an angle \( \theta \), the sine function is defined as:
- \( \sin(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite side}}{\text{hypotenuse}} \)
This means that if you know the lengths of the opposite side and the hypotenuse, you can calculate the sine of the angle \( \theta \).
In our scenario, the sine function is crucial for calculating the angle of the ramp. We've already identified the opposite side (1.1 m) and the hypotenuse (3.7 m). Therefore, we can express this as:
\( \sin(\theta) = \frac{1.1}{3.7} \).
This ratio serves as a stepping stone to finding the angle using the inverse sine function.