Basic Highway Math

Georgia Department of Transportation

Copyright 2000

Updated October 2020

 BASIC HIGHWAY MATHEMATICS – VOLUME I
There is a great deal of mathematics used in the construction field. Each day you must use arithmetic, algebraic, and geometr ic skills in your work. The
purpose of this book is to teach you, in the most readable way, the mathematical skills needed for your job. The book is not designed to teach you
mathematical theory, but rather to increase your proficiency in these skills.

This book is designed as a programmed text. The material is presented in simple steps and the entire idea is formulated by do ing each of these steps. For this
reason, you are asked to do each of the steps sequentially and not to skip over any of the sections within a unit. If any ma terial is not clear after going through
it one time, you should go back through the material again to reinforce your learning. You may use a calculator in working the problems and also use any texts
that may help you enhance your learning.

Many units have a pre-test which allows you to determine whether you need to review the material presented in tha t unit. Some units also have supplementary
problems that will allow you to practice the skills that you learn in the unit.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNIT I: Whole Numbers and Fractions

Introduction
Addition of Fractions
Subtraction of Fractions
Multiplication of Fractions
Division of Fractions
Mixed Operations

UNIT II: Decimals

Introduction
Addition and Subtraction of Decimals
Multiplication of Decimals
Division of Decimals

UNIT III: Mixed Operations: Fractions and Decimals

Conversion of Fractions to Decimals

Problems Involving Fractions and Decimals

2
 Grouping Using Parentheses

UNIT IV: Formula Evaluation

Introduction
Geometric Shapes and Formulas

UNIT V: Techniques of Algebra

Introduction
Solution of Equations

UNIT VI: Ratio and Proportion

Introduction
Solving Proportions
Applications

UNIT VII: Percentage

Introduction
Applications of Percentages

UNIT VIII: Angle Measurement

Introduction
Types of Angles
Dividing Degrees into Minutes and Seconds
The Measures of the Angles of Triangles
Angles and Circles

UNIT IX: Right Triangles

Introduction
Applications of the Pythagorean Theorem

3
Answer Key to page 6
1-1: 7 5/8

1-2: 5 11/16

1-3: 2 1/2

1-4: 1 1/2

1-5: 15/16

1-6: 2 1/4

1-7: 5/6

1-8: 5/6

1-9: 4 9/40

1-10: 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16

1-11: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24

4
This page is intentionally left blank.

5
 UNIT I – WHOLE NUMBERS AND FRACTIONS
It is possible that you will not have to study this Unit. Your answers to the following problems will determine
your ability in working with whole numbers and fractions.

Solve the following problems:

1-22: 9/16
I-1 2 1/4 + 5 3/8
1-23: 5/5 or 1 (See Note 1-23) I-2 7 1/16 – 3 5/8 + 2 1/4
I-3 1 5/16 x 1 1/7 x 1 2/3
1-24: 15/20=3/4 (See Note 1-24) I-4 3 3/8  2 1/4
I-5 1 1/2 x 1 3/4 - 1 1/8 x 1 1/2
1-25: 18/24=3/4 I-6 3 1/2 + 3 1/2  1 1/5 – 4 1/6
I-7 1 7/8  1 5/7 x 1 5/16
1-26: 13/9= 1 4/9 (See Note 1-26) I-8 3 1/4  1 1/5 – 1 1/2 x 1 1/4
I-9 4 3/5 – 1 5/6 x 2 1/4 + 3 3/4
1-27: 1 3/11
If you have eight or nine answers correct, go on to Unit II.
1-28: 2 3/6=2 1/2
If you have less than eight answers correct, complete Unit I.
1-29: 5

1-30: 44/32=1 12/32= 1 3/8

A. Introduction

The set of numbers consisting of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on is called the set of whole numbers. The operations of
1-31: 2 8/25
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division are applied to these numbers in a manner with which you are
familiar; however, there are two ideas that you should review. These are greatest common factor and least com-
1-32: 5 50/100=5 1/2 (See Note 1-32)
mon multiple.
1-33: 5 6/5=6 1/5
Given a whole number larger than 0, you can always find one or more numbers that will divide evenly into it.
Numbers that divide evenly into a given number are called the factors of that number.

I-10 What are the factors of 16?

I-11 What are the factors of 24?

If you look at the factors of two or more whole numbers you can always find at least one number that is a factor of
each number. These factors are known as common factors.

6
 I-12 What are the common factors of 16 and 24?
I-13 What are the common factors of 12, 18, and 24?

The largest of the common factors of two or more whole numbers is called the Greatest Common Factor (G.C.F.)
of the numbers.

I-14 Find the G.C.F. of 12, 18, and 24.

I-15 Find the G.C.F. of 8, 12, and 16.

If you multiply a given whole number by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…and so on, you obtain the positive multiples.

I-16 List the first ten positive multiples of 4.

I-17 List the first seven positive multiples of 6.

If you look at the list of the positive multiples of two or more whole numbers you can see that they have some
multiples in common. These are called the common positive multiples of the numbers.

I-18 Find three common positive multiples of 4 and 6.

The smallest of the common positive multiples between two or more whole numbers is called their Least Common
Multiple (L.C.M.).

I-19 Find the L.C.M. of 4 and 6.

I-20 Find the L.C.M. of 6, 9, and 12.
I-21 Find the L.C.M. of 7, 14, and 21.

With these ideas concerning G.C.F. and L.C.M., along with your knowledge of the other operations on whole numbers,
you can solve many problems. However, the solutions to all problems are not whole numbers.

Suppose, for example, a road crew can pave one mile of highway in 2 hours and we want to know how much they
can pave in 1 hour.

Is the set of whole numbers adequate to answer this question?

The answer is no, for we need to have some way of expressing a part of the whole. We call these expressions
fractions.

The expressions 3/4, 7/8, 16/3, and 9/7 are fractions.

7
 The top number is called the numerator, the bottom number is called the denominator, and the line represents
division.

In particular, fractions are divided into three categories.

Proper Fractions: Examples of this type of fraction are 1/2, 4/5, 2/3, 1/8, and 31/32. As you can see, in this type of
fraction the numerator is always less than the denominator.

Improper Fractions: In this type of fraction the numerator is not less than the denominator. For example, 3/2, 5/5,
9/4, 32/32, and 51/13 are all improper fractions. As you can see, the numerator is always greater than or equal to
the denominator.
1-46: 3 5/8 (See Note 1-46)
Mixed Fractions: A mixed fraction is a combination of a whole number and a fraction. Examples of these are
1-47: 6 9/16 2 3/5, 9 4/11, 1 1/8, and 4 6/31.

1-48: 10 1/12 B. Addition of Fractions

1-49: 43 4/25 In order to add two or more fractions with the same (or common) denominator add the numerators and keep the
denominators the same.
1-50: 5 5/24 (See Note 1-50)
For example, 1/5 + 2/5 = (1 + 2)/5 = 3/5.
1-51: 7 7/12
I-22 Add 3/16, 5/16, and 1/16
1-52: 3 3/4 (See Note 1-52) I-23 Add 3/5 and 2/5
I-24 Add 3/20, 1/20, and 11/20
1-53: 3 5/6 I-25 Add 3/24, 9/24, 1/24, and 5/24
I-26 Add 2/9, 4/9, and 7/9
1-54: 11/16 I-27 Change 14/11 to a whole number or a mixed fraction.
I-28 Change 15/6 to a whole number or a mixed fraction.
I-29 Change 75/15 to a whole number or a mixed fraction.
I-30 Add 27/32 and 17/32
I-31 Add 71/100, 59/100, 41/100, and 61/100

You can also add combinations of whole numbers, mixed fractions, and proper fractions. Just add the whole
numbers, then add the fractions, and simplify your answer.

I-32 Add 2 31/100 and 3 19/100

I-33 Add 2 4/5 and 3 2/5

8
 I-34 Add 2 3/16, 4, and 4 9/16
I-35 Add 2 9/40, 17/40, and 8
I-36 Add 4 11/15, 7 11/15, 11/15, and 9

If you wish to add two or more fractions that do not have common denominators, you must first change them to a
form in which they have a common denominator. The least common denominator is the L.C.M. of the 1-12: 1, 2, 4, 8 (See Note 1-12)
denominators.

I-37 Find the least common denominator of 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 1-13: 1, 2, 3, 6 (See Note 1-13)
I-38 Find the least common denominator of 1/6, 3/8, and 5/12

To change each fraction to common denominator form, multiply the numerator and denominator by the factor that 1-14 : GCF=6 (See Note 1-14)
changes each denominator to the least common denominator. Consider the following example:

1/6 + 3/8 + 5/12 1-15 : GCF=4 (See Note 1-15)

As you can see, the least common denominator is 24.

1-16: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32,
Note: 6x4 = 24, 8x3 = 24, and 12x2 = 24 36, 40 (See Note 1-16)

Therefore, (1x4)/(6x4) = 4/24, (3x3)/(8x3) = 9/24, and (5x2)/(12x2) = 10/24

1-17: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 and 42
Hence, 1/6 + 3/8 + 5/12 = 4/24 + 9/24 + 10/24 = 23/24

I-39 Add 5/6, 1/9, and 3/4 1-18: 12, 24, 36 (See Note 1-18)
I-40 Add 3 1/7, 4 5/14, and 17/21
I-41 Add 2, 4 5/7, 9/14, and 6 1/2
1-19: 12 (See Note 1-19)
C. Subtraction of Fractions

Two fractions to be subtracted may or may not have a common denominator. If they do not, find their least 1-20: 36 (See Note 1-20)
common denominator. To subtract two fractions with a common denominator, subtract their numerators and keep
the same denominator. Remember to write all answers in simplified form.
1-21: 42
I-42 Subtract 4/9 from 5/9
I-43 Subtract 9/42 from 19/42
I-44 Subtract 1/4 from 2/5
I-45 Subtract 1/2 from 4/8

9
 1-70: 1 5/6
To subtract a proper fraction or a mixed fraction from a whole number, follow these steps:
1-71: 35/64
First - Take note of the denominator of the fraction or mixed fraction.
1-72: 9/32 Second - Subtract 1 from the whole number and write this 1 as the given denominator over itself (5 – 1-3/8
becomes 4 8/8 – 1 3/8).
1-73: 7/64 1-83: 5 15/16 Third – Subtract the whole numbers and then the fractions to find the solution.

1-74: 53/64 1-84: 6 13/16 I-46 Subtract 1 3/8 from 5

I-47 Subtract 2 7/16 from 9
1-75: 7/8 1-85: 5/32 I-48 Subtract 11/12 from 11

1-76: 1 15/16 1-86: 1/28 To subtract a whole number from a mixed fraction, subtract the whole numbers and keep the fraction. Consider
the problem 4 27/32 – 2. Because 4 – 2 = 2, the answer becomes 2 27/32.
1-77: 1/3 1-87: 1/6
I-49 Subtract 21 from 64 4/25
1-78: 1/8 1-88: 1 1/6
To subtract two mixed fractions, make sure the denominators are the same. If the numerator of the second fraction
1-79: 6 1/2 1-89: 2 4/5 is less than or equal to the numerator of the first fraction, subtract the whole numbers and then subtract the fractions
to obtain the solution.
1-80: 3 7/24 1-90: 1
I-50 Subtract 2 2/3 from 7 7/8
1-81: 5 11/16 1-91: 1 1/2 I-51 Subtract 2 1/6 from 9 3/4

1-82: 2 3/8 1-92: 1 If the numerator of the second fraction is greater than the numerator of the first, you must subtract 1 from the first
whole number and add it to the first fraction obtaining a whole number and an improper fraction.
1-93: 2/3
For instance, 6 3/8 – 2 5/8 becomes 5 11/8 – 2 5/8
1-94: 3 1/3
I-52 Subtract 2 5/8 from 6 3/8
1-95: 6 5/16
I-53 Subtract 2 1/2 from 6 1/3
I-54 Subtract 6 11/16 from 7 3/8
1-96: 5/8

1-97: 2/21
D. Multiplication of Fractions

To multiply any combination of two or more proper and/or improper fractions, multiply the numerators to form the
1-98: 9 1/4
numerator of the solution and multiply the denominators to form the denominator of the solution. Then simplify
your answer.
1-99: 2 5/8

10
For instance, 7/8 x 1/4 = (7 x 1)/(8 x 4) = 7/32.
1-34: 10 12/16=10 3/4
I-55 Multiply 16/5, 4/5, and 1/4
I-56 Multiply 5/6, 7/2, and 4/5
I-57 Multiply 1/4, 16/5, 9/11, and 5/3
1-35: 10 26/40=10 13/20
To multiply when mixed fractions are involved, you must first change the mixed fractions to improper fractions.
1-36: 20 33/15=22 3/15=22 1/5
To change a mixed fraction to an improper fraction, multiply the whole number by the denominator, add this value
to the numerator, and put this result over the original denominator.
1-37: 12
I-58 Change 4 1/3 to an improper fraction
I-59 Change 6 5/8 to an improper fraction
1-38: 24
Once you have changed the mixed fractions to improper fractions, multiply as you learned earlier.

I-60 Multiply 1 1/2 and 2 3/4

1-39: 61/36=1 25/36
I-61 Multiply 2 5/8 and 1/2
I-62 Multiply 2 2/5, 4 1/4, and 3 2/3
I-63 Multiply 4 1/4 and 6
1-40: 7 55/42=8 13/42
I-64 Multiply 1 5/8, 4, 2 1/2, and 3/4

E. Division of Fractions 1-41: 12 26/14= 13 12/14=13 6/7

To divide two fractions, invert the second fraction (the divisor) and then multiply (change any mixed fractions or
whole numbers to improper fractions). 1-42: 1/9

For example, 1/22/3 = 1/2x3/2 = 3/4.

1-43: 10/42=5/21
I-65 Divide 3/5 by 8/7
I-66 Divide 7 by 3/8
I-67 Divide 1 1/2 by 3/4 1-44: 3/20
I-68 Divide 2 5/8 by 4
I-69 Divide 3 7/9 by 3 1/3
1-45: 0

11
 F. Mixed Operations
2-10: 14.5
In some situations, it is necessary to combine the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
If this happens, first perform the multiplications and/or divisions in order from left to right and then perform the
2-11: 2.66 additions and/or subtractions in order from left to right.

Consider the problem 1/8 + 1/4 - 3/16.

2-12: 460.297
First, perform the addition. (1/8 + 1/4 = 3/8)
Next, perform the subtraction from the number obtained. (3/8 – 3/16 = 3/16)
2-13: 16.96 Therefore, the solution is 3/16.

I-70 Solve the problem 1/8  3/4 x 11

2-14: 16.2 (See Note 2-14) I-71 Solve the problem 27/64 + 3/16 x 2/3
I-72 Solve the problem 3 x 7/32 – 3/8
I-73 Solve the problem 5/64 + 21/32 x 7 – 1/16
2-15: 23.2 I-74 Solve the problem 1-3/64 – 7/ 8 x 2-1/4 9

Supplementary Problems
2-16: 0.69
I-75 3/8 + 1/8 + 3/8 I-93 7/8 x 4/9  7/12
I-76 5/16 + 7/16 + 9/16 I-94 6 1/4  1 5/16 x 2 5/8  3 3/4
2-17: 7.385 I-77 7/12 – 3/12 I-95 3 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 1 1/3 – 4 3/16
I-78 3/4 - 5/8 I-96 7 divided by 1 3/4 + 2 3/8 – 5 3/4
I-79 2 1/2 + 3 3/4 + 1/4 I-97 1 3/8  2 1/4  7 1/3 x 1 1/7
2-18: 205.85=205.9 I-80 1/6 + 3/8 +2 9/12 I-98 3 1/2 x 1 1/3 + 5 7/12 – 1
(See Note 2-18) I-81 6 – 5/16 I-99 15/16 x 1 3/5 + 3 3/4 - 3 1/2  1 1/3
I-82 5 1/4 - 2 7/8
I-83 7 1/2 - 3/8 + 3 1/4 - 4 7/16
2-19: 4.7671=4.767 I-84 7 1/4 - 1 5/16 + 3 1/8 – 2 1/4
(See Note 2-19) I-85 1/4 x 5/8
I-86 1/6 x 3/8 x 4/7
I-87 1/8  3/4
2-20: 10.979 I-88 7/16  3/8
I-89 3 1/5 x 7/8
I-90 5 1/4 x 2 2/3 x 1/14
2-21: 221.025 I-91 1 7/8  1 1/4
I-92 1 1/11  1 3/33

12
UNIT II – DECIMALS
1-55: 16/25
It is possible that you will not have to study this unit. Your answers to the following problems will determine your
ability in working with decimals. 1-56: 2 1/3

Solve the following problems.

1-57: 1 1/11
2-1 Round 1.141 to the nearest tenth.
2-2 Round 15.650 to the nearest whole number. 1-58: 13/3 (See Note 1-58)
2-3 2.31 + 3.91 + 0.4 (write your answer precise to the nearest tenth)
2-4 13.24 – 12.224 (write your answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
2-5 5.94 + 1.919 – 4.29 (write your answer precise to the nearest 1-59: 53/8
hundredth) 2-6 5.123 x 41.413 x 32.25 (write your answer precise to the nearest
tenth) 2-7 64.4  25.21 (write your answer precise to the nearest tenth) 1-60: 4 1/8 (See Note 1-60)
2-8 .626  0.632 (write your answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
2-9 91.4 divided by 0.235 (write your answer precise to the nearest
1-61: 1 5/16
tenth) If you have eight or nine answers correct, go on to Unit III.
1-62: 37 2/5
If you have less than eight answers correct, complete this unit.

1-63: 25 1/2
A. Introduction

Fractions which have 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and so on as their denominators can easily be expressed as decimal 1-64: 12 3/16
fractions. For example:
1-65: 21/40
3/10 = 0.3
27/100 = 0.27
3/1000 = 0.003 1-66: 18 2/3
7 2/10 = 7.2
17/10 = 1-7/10 = 1.7
1-67: 2
2 30/100 = 2.3

The dot used in each case above is called a decimal point. 1-68: 21/32

As you can see, fractions with 10 in the denominator can be written as decimals with one place to the right of the
1-69: 1 2/15
decimal point; fractions with 100 in the denominator can be written as decimals with two places to the right of the
decimal point; fractions with 1000 in the denominator can be written as decimals with three places to the right of
13
 the decimal point, and so on. The first place to the right of the decimal point is called the tenths place, the second
2-28: 0.49 place is called the hundredths place, the third the thousandth place, and so on.

2-29: 0.06 B. Addition and Subtraction of Decimals

2-30: 1.21
In addition and subtraction of decimals, write the numbers so that the decim
al points are directly under each other.
2-31: 5.8 Then, add or subtract as with whole numbers, placing the decimal point inhet answer directly under the other deci
2-32: 16.3 mal points.

2-33: 9.51 For example: 21.3

———
+ 6.4
2-34: 14.980 (See Note 2-34)

2-35: 0.002 27.7

2-36: 8.71 2-10 Add 13.2 and 1.3

2-11 Subtract 4.21 from 6.87
2-37: 2
2-12 Add 27.261, 429.524, and 3.512
2-38: 1.6 2-13 Add 16.02, 0.91, and 0 .03.
2-14
2-15 Add 13.5
Round andto
23.24 2.67
theand round
nearest to the nearest tenth
tenth
2-39: 2.9

2-40: 94.129 2-16 Round 0.685 to the nearest hundredth

2-17 Round 7.38546 to the nearest thousandth
2-41: 7.6 2-18 2-
Add 17.1, 2.35, and 186.4 and round to the nearest tenth usandth
2-42: 7.2 19 2- thousandth
Subtract 9.4709 from 14.238 and round to the nearest tho st
20 Add 7.395, 0.195, 0.6935, and 2.695 and round to the neare
2-43: 0.26

2-44: 2 C. Multiplication of Decimals

ltiply as you would whole numbers.
2-45: 235.19 To multiply two decimals, temporarily disregard the decimal points and mu bers you are multiplying. Place the
Find the total number of places to the right of the decimal point in the num e right of the decimal point.
2-46: 64
decimal point in your answer so that this total is the number of places to th
2-47: 670.788
For example: 12.2 x 3.6 = 43.92
2-48: 19.6 of the two numbers multiplied is two;
2-49: 38.6 As you can see, the total number of places to the right of the decimal point answer.
therefore; two places to the right of the decimal point are shown in the final
2-50: 1.61
2-21 Multiply 5.25 and 42.1
14
 2-22 Multiply 0.13 and 1.78
2-23 Multiply 46 and 121.4
2-24 Multiply 3.14, 4.6, and 4.6

Since the numbers you use in construction work are measured quantities, the precision of your answers must be
consistent. Therefore, you must round all answers to the precision required by your job situation.

For example, your job situation illustrated in the first example of this section could require precision to the nearest
tenth.

2-25 Round 43.92 to the nearest tenth.

Referring back to question 2-21, if 42.1 represents the length of a section of corrugated pipe in feet, and if 5.25
represents the cost per linear foot of the pipe, then 221.025 represents the total cost of the pipe. 2-1: 1.1

2-26 Round 221.025 to the nearest cent (hundredth). 2-2: 16

If in question 2-24, 4.6 represents the radius of a test pile, then 66.4424 represents the circular cross-sectional area 2-3: 6.6
of the pile, which must be rounded to the nearest tenth.
2-4: 1.02
2-27 Round 66.4424 to the nearest tenth.
2-5: 3.57
D. Division of Decimals
2-6: 6,842.1
To divide a decimal by a whole number, divide as you would with whole numbers and place the decimal point in
your quotient directly above the decimal point in your dividend. 2-7: 2.6

For example, let’s divide 3.6 by 6. 2-8: .99

2-9: 388.9

.6
6 3.6
3.6

15
 In the above example, the term 0.6 is the quotient, the term 3.6 is the dividend, and the term 6 is the divisor.

2-28 Divide 2.45 by 5

3-1: 0.6 2-29 Divide 0.36 by 6
2-30 Divide 7.26 by 6
3-2: 4.38
To divide a decimal by a decimal, move the decimal point in the divisor to the right of all the digits in the divisor
3-3: 0.462 to form a whole number. Move the decimal point in the dividend the same number of places to the right. Then
divide as instructed in the above example.
3-4: 5.99
2-31 Divide 13.34 by 2.3
3-5: 5.21 2-32 Divide 88.346 by 5.42
2-33 Divide 35.187 by 3.7
3-6: 1.0 2-34 Divide 8.988 by 0.6 (Round to the nearest tenth)
2-35 Divide 0.009 by 4.5
3-7: 0.7 2-36 Divide 65.325 by 7.5
2-37 Divide 0.25 by 0.125
3-8: 2.5 2-38 Divide 0.6 by 0 .375
2-39 To find the volume of a test hole in which there are 285.3 pounds of dry sand whose density is
3-9: 8.43 96.8 pounds per cubic foot you must divide 285.3 by 96.8. Round your answer to the nearest tenth.
2-40 To find the in-place wet density of soil from a test hole whose weight is 291.8 pounds, and where
3-10: 0.6 the volume of the hole is 3.1 cubic feet, you must divide 291.8 by 3.1. Round your answer to the nearest
thousandth.
3-11: 4.32
Supplementary Problems
3-12: 0.778
2-41 Round 7.62 to the nearest tenth.
3-13: 1.88 2-42 Round 7.161 to the nearest tenth.
2-43 Round 0.261 to the nearest hundredth.
3-14: 0.82 2-44 Round 1.71 to the nearest whole number.
2-45 Round 235.185 to the nearest hundredth.
2-46 Round 64.485 to the nearest whole number.
2-47 617.626 + 53.162
2-48 13.5 + 6.12 (Round to the nearest tenth)
2-49 124.7 – 86.1
2-50 2.47 - 0.865

16
2-51 .41 - .31 (Round to the nearest hundredth)
2-52 1.25 - .535 + 3.16 (Round to the nearest hundredth)
2-53 5.611 + 16.9 + 16.3 – 22.5 (Round to the nearest tenth.
2-54 25.50 – 1.00 + 1.00 – 16.24 + 32.00
2-55 1.2 x 4.8 (answer precise to the nearest whole number)
2-56 824.36 x 108.12 (answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
2-57 6.8 x 66.12 x 18.24 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
2-58 3.0 x 3.0 x 6.4 x 2.48 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
2-59 2.34  2.4 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
2-60 12.6  1.21 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
2-61 14.8  21 (answer precise to the nearest whole number)
2-62 3.201  1.201 (answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
2-63 24.9  241.2 (answer precise to the nearest tenth) 2-22: .2314
2-64 2.9  .97 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)

2-23: 5,584.4

2-24: 66.4424

2-25: 43.9

2-26: 221.03

2-27: 66.4

17
 UNIT III – MIXED OPERATIONS: FRACTIONS AND
3-32: 5.13 DECIMALS
3-33: 3.625
It is possible that you may not have to study this unit.
3-34: 9.7
Your answers to the following problems will determine your ability in doing mixed decimal and
fractionoperations.
3-35:0.43

3-36: 12.4 3-1 Convert 3/5 to a decimal precise to the nearest tenth.
3-2 Convert 35/8 to a decimal precise to the nearest hundredth.
3-37: 6.748 3-3 Convert 6/13 to a decimal precise to the nearest thousandth.
3-4 5.29 + 5/6 -0.13 (answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
3-5 9-7/8 x0.46 + 2/3 (answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
3-38: 19.4
3-6 3.2 -0.9  2/5 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-39:0.1 3-7 9/5 x0.25 + 2.1  8.5 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-8 ((.78 + 8.94 +0.08) / 3)  1.29 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-9 ((7.75 +0.50)(1.42 -0.50)) /0.9 (answer precise to the nearest
3-40: 20.2

hundredth) If you have eight or nine answers correct, go on to Unit IV.

3-41: 5.2

3-42: 19.85 If you have less than eight answers correct, complete this unit.

3-43: 194.2 E. Conversion of Fractions to Decimals

3-44: 51.7 To convert a fraction to a decimal, divide the numerator by the denominator and round your answer
to the precision required by the job situation.
3-45:0.24
3-10 Convert 3/5 to a decimal. (this job requires precision to the nearest tenth)
3-46: 3.2 3-11 Convert 4-8/25 to a decimal. (this job requires precision to the nearest hundredth)
3-12 Convert 7/9 to a decimal. (this job requires precision to the nearest thousandth)
3-47: 2.9 3-13 Convert 15/8 to a decimal. (this job requires precision to the nearest hundredth)
3-14 Convert 9/11 to a decimal. (this job requires precision to the nearest hundredth)
3-48: 261.9
F. Problems Involving Fractions and Decimals
3-49: 26.5
Generally, the easiest method of performing operations involving fractions and decimals is to
convert all fractions
18
to decimals and then perform the indicated operations.

3-15 3/8 + 25.8 (one decimal place precision required)

3-16 3/4 - .7 (one decimal place precision required)
3-17 2.54 x 3/7 (one decimal place precision required)
3-18 46.50  4-2/3 (two decimal place precision required)
3-19 .42 + 525.80 – 5/8 (two decimal place precision required)
3-20 733.94 – 1-4/9 x 2.38 (one decimal place precision required)
3-21 11-4/5 + 6.6  1.3 (one decimal place precision required)
3-22 3-1/2 x .75  2/3 (two decimal place precision required) 2-51: .10
3-23 1/2 + 2.6 – 3.0 x 1/8  .2 (one decimal place precision required)
2-52: 3.88
G. Grouping Using Parentheses 2-53: 16.3

When parentheses are used in a problem involving two or more operations, they indicate the order in which the 2-54: 41.26
operations are to be performed. The operation(s) within the parentheses must be performed first; then, perform the 2-55: 6
remaining operations according to the order of operations you have already learned.
2-56: 89,129.80
For example, (3.4 x (4.0 + 6.1))/2 = (3.4 x 10.1)/2 = 17.17. 2-57: 8,201.0

3-24 3.14/4(3.6 + 3.0)(3.6 – 3.0) (one decimal place precision required) 2-58: 142.8
3-25 A certain trench has a cross-section whose area in square feet is found by the expression: (1.7(2.1 +
2-59: 1.0
4.8))/2. Calculate the area to the nearest tenth of a square foot.
3-26 To find the in-place dry density in pounds per cubic foot of a soil sample whose in-place wet density 2-60: 10.4
is 52.7 pounds per cubic foot, and whose moisture content is 6.4%, you must evaluate to the nearest tenth the
following mathematical expression: (52.7/(100 + 6.4))(100). 2-61: 1
3-27 To find the average altitude of the side of a certain cut to the nearest hundredth of a foot for seeding 2-62: 2.67
and mulching purposes, you must evaluate the expression: (23.40 + 27.44 + 28.96 + 21.77)/4.
3-28 Find the average altitude of the side of a certain cut to the nearest hundredth of a foot if the measured 2-63: .1
altitudes are 13.47 feet, 12.84 feet, and 13.85 feet. 2-64: 3.0
3-29 To construct a certain subgrade drain, a trench was dug with cross-sectional areas of 8.54 square feet,
9.63 square feet, 8.52 square feet, 7.89 square feet, and 8.30 square feet. Find the average cross -sectional area
to the nearest hundredth of a square foot.

Supplementary Problems

3-30 Convert 1/3 to a decimal precise to the nearest hundredth.

3-31 Convert 3/8 to a decimal precise to the nearest thousandth.

19
 3-32 Convert 5-1/8 to a decimal precise to the nearest hundredth.
3-33 Convert 29/8 to a decimal precise to the nearest thousandth.
3-34 Convert 9-5/7 to a decimal precise to the nearest tenth.
3-35 Convert 10/23 to a decimal precise to the nearest hundredth.
3-36 7/12 + 12.5 - 0.70 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-37 8.493 x 8/11 + 4/7 (answer precise to the nearest thousandth)
4-4: A=20.5 square feet 3-38 0.007 + 8.951  6/13 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-39 3.1 x 8.9 x 5/11 x 0.01 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
4-5: A=83.4 square feet 3-40 7.4  11/15  1/2 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-41 5/23 - 0.004 + 7.82 x 7/11 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
4-6: A=60.8 square feet 3-42 9.52 + 5.23  1/2 – 3/10 x .421 (answer precise to the nearest hundredth)
3-43 7/18 x 2.69 + 26.9 x 3.45  0.47 – 23/5 + .259 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
4-7 : A=2,038.08 square feet 3-44 (4.2 + 8.4)4.1 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-45 (3.14/7)(3.431 – 2.89) (answer precise to the nearest hundredth) 3-
46 [(7.4/(3.8 + 100)](47.1 – 2.3) (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-47 [(4.1 – 2.3)(4.1 + 2.3)]/4 (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
3-48 [(3.14 x 6.0 x 6.0)/3][(8.4 + 5.5)/2] (answer precise to the nearest tenth)
4-8 : A=226.5 square yards 3-49 4(.007 + 9.631) - 0.7(9.211 + 8.002) (answer precise to the nearest tenth)

4-9: A=244 square yards

4-10: 46.90 square feet

4-11: 357 feet

4-12: 2,211.07 feet

4-13 : A=678.3 square yards

4-14 : A=10,872.93 square yards

20
UNIT IV – FORMULA EVALUATION
3-15: 26.2 (See Note 3-15)
In each of the previous units you were given the option of bypassing the unit. However, in this unit the material is
such that the format involved in the solution of the problems may be new to you. Therefore, you must study this 3-16: .1
unit to ensure consistency in methods of solution.
3-17: 1.09
A. Introduction
3-18: 9.96
A formula is a method or rule for finding a certain quantity when other quantities are known. For example, to find
3-19: 525.60
the area (A) of a rectangle you use the formula A = L x W, where you know the length (L) and the width (W).
3-20: 730.5
4-1 Evaluate the formula: B = P + I, where P = 100 and I = 30.
4-2 Evaluate the formula: T = D/R, where D = 560 and R = 392 (precision to the nearest tenth).
3-21: 16.9
4-3 Evaluate the formula: A = ((b1 + b2)/2)h, where b1 = 29.3, b2 = 10.7, and h = 5.6 (precision to the
nearest tenth).
3-22: 3.94
To make sure that your calculations may be easily checked by others, follow the standard procedure in evaluating
3-23: 1.2
formulas illustrated by the previous three problems.
3-24: 3.1 (See Note 3-24)
1. Write the formula
2. Write the step showing the given values being substituted into the formula
3-25: 5.9
3. Perform the indicated operations
4. Round your answer to the required precision
3-26: 49.5 lbs. per cubic foot

B. Geometric Shapes and Formulas 3-27: 25.39 (See Note 3-27)

The area of a rectangle of length (L) and width (W) is given by the formula A = L x W.
3-28: 13.39 feet

3-29: 8.58 square feet

L
W 3-30: .33

A=L✕ W 3-31: .375

21
 4-4 Find the area of a rectangle in square feet given the length is 5.4 feet and the width is 3.8 feet
(precision to the nearest tenth).
4-5 Find the area of a rectangle in square feet, whose length is 66.70 feet and whose width is 1.25
feet (precision to the nearest tenth).
4-6 Find the area of a rectangle in square feet, whose length is 7.8 feet and whose width is 7.8 feet
(precision to the nearest tenth). This is a special type of rectangle known as a square. A square is a rec -
tangle whose width and length are equal.
4-7 Find the area of a rectangle in square feet whose length is 169.84 feet and whose width is 12.00
feet (precision to the nearest hundredth).

Suppose the rectangle in the previous problem represents a portion of one lane of a paved highway and the job
situation requires the area to be expressed to the nearest tenth of a square yard. To find the number of square
4-20 : 10,003.75 square feet
yards in this section of roadway you must first find the number of square feet as in problem 4-7, divide this result
by 9, and round your answer to the required precision.
4-21 : A=17.7 square feet
4-8 Change 2038.08 square feet to the nearest tenth of a square yard.
4-9 Find the area of a rectangular section of embankment for seeding and mulching purposes if the
length is 56.4 feet and the width is 38.9 feet. Express the answer to the nearest square yard.
4-22 : A=644.1 square feet
4-10 Find the surface area of a rectangular section of a concrete sidewalk with length 13.4 feet and
width of 3.5 feet. Express your answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.
4-23 : A=195 square feet
One of the most convenient methods for measuring distances in the field involves the use of Stations. The starting
point for Station measurements is Station 0+00. Station 5+75, for example, is located 575 feet from the starting
point and Station 9+32.78 is located 932.78 feet from the starting point.
4-24 : A=5.96 square feet
4-11 Find the distance between Stations 5+75 and 9+32.
4-12 Find the distance between Stations 16+33.24 and 38+44.31.
4-25 : A=201.6 square feet
4-13 How many square yards of sod are needed to cover a 15-foot wide median strip between Station
80+29 and Station 84+36? Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a square yard.
4-14 Find the total surface area to be covered by asphalt on as two-lane highway that is 24.00 feet
wide between Station 5+35.00 and Station 46+12.35. Express your answer to the nearest hundredth of a
square yard.

The trapezoid is another figure for which you must be able to compute the area. An example of trapezoids is as
follows:

22
 b2

b1
As you can see, sides b1 and b2 (known as the bases of the trapezoid) are parallel and h is the altitude (height).
The altitude must be perpendicular (measured at right angles) to the bases.

The formula for the area of a trapezoid is: A = ((b1 + b2)/2)h

4-15 Find the area of a trapezoid to the nearest square foot whose bases are 27.3 feet and 12.7 feet and
whose altitude is 5 feet.
4-16 Find the area of a trapezoid to the nearest tenth of a square foot whose bases are 7.0 feet and
13.7 feet and whose altitude is 4.2 feet. 4-1: B=130
4-17 The cross-section of a concrete bridge support is shaped like a trapezoid. The altitude of this
support is 8.31 feet and its bases are 39.27 feet and 31.89 feet. Find the cross-sectional area of the sup- 4-2: T=1.4
port to the nearest hundredth of a square foot.
4-18 The depth of a trapezoidal concrete drainage ditch is 3.2 feet. The distance across the top of the 4-3: A=112.0
ditch is 5.8 feet and the width of the bottom of the ditch is 4.0 feet. Find the cross-sectional area of the
ditch to the nearest hundredth of a square foot.

To find the area of shapes that have sloping sides you can divide the entire area into trapezoids of differing sizes –
making sure that the entire interior of the shape is comprised of trapezoids. The next step is to find the area of
each individual trapezoid and then add these areas together to find the total area of the slope -sided area.

4-19 Determine the area of a shape with sloping sides given the following information:
Shape 1 – b1 = 81.40 feet, b2 = 82.70 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 2 – b1 = 82.70 feet, b2 = 83.94 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 3 – b1 = 83.94 feet, b2 = 85.41 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 4 – b1 = 85.41 feet, b2 = 84.28 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 5 – b1 = 84.28 feet, b2 = 82.04 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 6 – b1 = 82.04 feet, b2 = 81.98 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 7 – b1 = 81.98 feet, b2 = 81.77 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 8 – b1 = 81.77 feet, b2 = 81.60 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Show your answer to the nearest hundredth of a square foot.
23
 4-20 Determine the area of a shape with sloping sides given the following information:
Shape 1 – b1 = 40.21 feet, b2 = 52.80 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 2 – b1 = 52.80 feet, b2 = 52.80 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 3 – b1 = 52.80 feet, b2 = 47.87 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Shape 4 – b1 = 47.87 feet, b2 = 53.00 feet, and h = 50 feet.
Show your answer to the nearest hundredth of a square foot.

The triangle is the third type figure for which you must be able to compute the area. A triangle is a three -sided
figure as illustrated below:

The formula for finding the area of a triangle is: A = 1/2bh or A = (bh)/2, where b is the base and h is the altitude.

-33: A=70.3 square feet

4-34 : A=978.6 square feet h

4-35 : A=19.9 square feet

b
4-36 : 18.8 square feet
By looking at the above picture you can see that any of the three sides may be chosen as the base and the altitude
is drawn at right angles to the base you choose.

4-21 Find the area of a triangle to the nearest tenth of a square foot whose base is 3.8 feet and whose
altitude is 9.3 feet.
4-22 Find the area of a triangle whose base is 124.0 feet and whose altitude is 93.5 feet. Express your
answer to the nearest tenth of a square yard.
4-23 A triangular section of ground at a highway interchange is to be seeded. If the base of the
triangle is 61.7 feet and its altitude is 56.8 feet, find the area to be seeded to the nearest square yard.
4-24 A concrete retaining wall has a triangular cross-section with a base of 2.98 feet and an altitude of
4.0 feet. Find the cross-sectional area of the retaining wall to the nearest hundredth of a square foot.
4-25 Backfill is to be placed behind a bridge abutment. A cross-section of the fill is in the shape of a
triangle whose base is 14.5 feet and whose altitude is 27.8 feet. Find the cross-sectional area to the nearest
tenth of a square foot.

24
A fourth geometric figure with which you must be familiar is the circle.

The radius (r) of a circle is the distance from the center of the circle to a point on the circle. The diameter (D) is
twice the radius.

D = 2r or r = D/2

You will be concerned with the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle.

center
4-15 : A=100 square feet
radius
4-16 : A=43.5 square feet

4-17 : A=295.67 square feet

The area (A) is found by: A = r² = (D/2)², where  has the approximate value 3.14 and r² means r x r.
4-18 : A=15.68 square feet
The circumference “C” is found by: C = 2r.

4-26 Find the area of a circle to the nearest tenth of a square foot if the radius is 7.2 feet. 4-19 : 33,181.00 square feet
4-27 Find the circumference of a circle to the nearest tenth of a foot if the radius is 8.7 feet.
4-28 Find the circumference and area of a circle if the radius is 14.7 feet. Express your answers to the
nearest tenth.
4-29 Find the cross-sectional area of a piece of corrugated pipe whose diameter is 2.25 feet. Express
your answer to the nearest tenth.
4-30 You must put a guardrail around a circular island in a roadway. If the radius of the island is 25.0
feet, find the amount of guardrail needed to the nearest tenth of a foot.
4-31 A certain circular area has been stripped during construction. How many square yards of topsoil
are needed to provide a growing medium and re-establish the turf if the diameter of the circle is 12.0 feet?
Express your answer to the nearest square yard.
4-32 Find the cross-sectional area of a circular pile to the nearest tenth of a square foot whose radius
is .71 feet.

25
 The ellipse is the fifth figure for which you must be able to compute the area.

a
4-41 : V=53.3 cubic feet

4-42 : V=971.88 cubic feet

b
4-43 : V=36 cubic feet

4-44 : V=21.9 cubic feet

The formula for the area of an ellipse is A = ab, where a is one-half of the length of the ellipse and b is one-half
the width of the ellipse.
4-45 : V=2.5 cubic yards
4-33 Find the area of an ellipse to the nearest tenth of a square foot if the length is 14.0 feet and the
width is 6.4 feet.
4-34 Find the area of an ellipse to the nearest tenth of a square foot if the length is 54.2 feet and the
4-46 : V=62.0 cubic yards
width is 23.0 feet.
4-35 A circular pipe makes an elliptical opening in a certain skewed wall. Find the area of the ellipse
to the nearest tenth of a square foot if its length is 5.08 feet and its width is 5.00 feet.
4-47 : v=3 cubic yards
4-36 Find the cross-sectional area of an elliptical storm-drain pipe whose cross-sectional dimensions
are 5.82 feet by 4.12 feet. Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a square foot.
4-48 : 236.4 cubic feet
The area of any irregular shape that you will find in the field may be computed by combinations of the 5 basic
geometric figures that you have just studied.
4-49 : 74 cubic yards
For example, suppose you wish to calculate the area of the following figure to the nearest square foot, given the
following information:
4-50 : 6 cubic yards

26
The length of the rectangle is 6.0 feet and its width is 4.7 feet.
The length of the other side of the trapezoid is 11.1 feet and its altitude is 5.9 feet.
The altitude of the triangle is 6.2 feet.

4-37 Compute the areas for the rectangle, trapezoid, and triangle. Express your answer to the nearest
tenth.
4-38 Determine the total area for the above figure. Express your answer to the nearest tenth.
4-39 Again using the figure above, calculate its total area to the nearest square yard, given the follow-
ing information:
4-26 : A=162.8 square feet
The length of the rectangle is 13.0 feet and its width is 4.2 feet.
The length of the other side of the trapezoid is 17.1 feet and its altitude is 5.0 feet.
4-27 : C=54.6 feet
The altitude of the triangle is 8.2 feet.

A slope between Station 57+25 and Station 59+75 is to be seeded. The distance from the shoulder of the road to
4-28 : C=92.3 feet
the top of the slope is measured at 50-foot intervals between these two Stations as follows:
A=678.5 square feet

Station Distance to top 4-29 : A=4.0 square feet

Number Of Slope
57+25 0.0 feet
57+75 28.7 feet
4-30: 157.0 feet
58+25 37.4 feet
58+75 26.9 feet
59+25 10.1 feet
4-31 : 13 square feet

4-40 Compute the area of the slope to the nearest square yard. *** HINT – Draw a diagram and
4-32 : A=1.6 square yards
divide into a triangle and trapezoids. ***

In many cases you will need to compute the volume of many three dimensional solids. The solids with which you
will be working have two bases and a height or length between these bases. These bases can be squares, rectangles,
circles, ellipses, or triangles. Where the bases are parallel and have the same size, and the edges are perpendicular to
the bases, you find the volume (V) by multiplying the area (B) of either base by the height or length (H).

V = BH, or volume = base x height

Since the area (B) of a base that is in the shape of a rectangle can be found by the equation B = L x W, then the
27
 original volume formula, V = BH, can also be written in the form V = L x W x H.

4-41 Find the volume to the nearest tenth of a cubic foot of a large square concrete pad whose base is
14.8 square feet and whose length is 3.6 feet.
4-42 Find the volume to the nearest hundredth of a cubic foot of a corrugated metal pipe whose
opening (base) is 124.6 square feet and whose length is 7.8 feet.

In general, to change cubic feet to cubic yards you must divide the number of cubic feet by 2 7. If in the previous
problem you had been asked to express your answer in cubic yards, you would have divided the answer in cubic
feet by 27.

4-43 Change the answer from problem 4-42 to the nearest tenth of a cubic yard.
4-44 A piece of sheet metal fabricated in the shape of a prism is given to be 18.2 square feet at its
base with a length of 32.5 feet. Find the volume of the prism to the nearest tenth of a cubic yard.

Since the area (B) of the base of a circular cylinder is B = r2, then the original volume formula V = BH, can also
be written as V = r2h.

4-45 Find the volume of a circular column of a bridge pier if the radius of the base is 1.3 feet and the
4-52: 307.21 cubic yards
height of the column is 12.8 feet. Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a cubic yard.
4-46 Find the number of cubic yards of Portland cement concrete needed to construct a trapezoidal
bridge support whose two sides measure 7.3 feet and 6.7 feet, has an altitude of 4.3 feet, and a length of
55.6 feet. Find your answer to the nearest tenth of a cubic yard.
4-47 What is the volume of an elliptical pipe that has a base width of 2.4 feet, a base height of 1.6
feet, and a length of 25 feet? Find the volume to the nearest cubic yard.
4-48 A cylindrical column rests on a rectangular concrete pad. The column has a base diameter of 3.1
feet and a length of 15.0 feet. The sides of the rectangular concrete pad are 11.0 feet and 5.6 feet in length,
and the depth of the pad is 2.0 feet. Find the total volume of the column and pad assembly to the nearest
tenth of a cubic foot.
4-49 A trench 47.0 feet long is to be excavated. The area of one trapezoidal end is 48.7 square feet.
The area of the other trapezoidal end is 36.4 square feet. Since the two bases of this trench are not the
same size, you must first find the average of the end areas and then multiply that average area by the
length of the trench to find the volume. Find the volume of dirt to be removed to the nearest cubic yard.
4-50 A triangular cut is to be made for a drain. If the areas of the triangular ends are 9.8 square feet
and 12.3 square feet, and the length is 14.3 feet, find the volume of dirt to be removed, to the nearest
cubic yard, using the average end area method.

The method of average end areas on rough or uneven terrain does not give you the precise amount of dirt removed,

28
but it does tell the contractor the number of cubic yards of excavation he will be paid for. The accuracy is
sufficient for our purposes and the method is commonly used in the construction industry for earthwork
computations. Sometimes it is necessary to use more than two end areas to calculate the volume of an irregular
solid.

4-51 Find the volume of a trapezoidal base trench to the nearest cubic yard using the following
information:

STATION B1 B2 H
17+00 11.8 feet 8.2 feet 6.0 feet
17+50 10.2 feet 5.6 feet 5.7 feet
18+00 10.9 feet 5.5 feet 5.9 feet 4-37:
Rectangle: A=28.2 square feet
Trapezoid: A=50.4 square feet
Triangle: A=34.4 square feet
In constructing a bridge pier it is necessary, due to sub-soil conditions, to excavate beyond the specifications of the
original plan. The end areas of this additional excavation channel have the following shape:
4-38 : Total is 113.0 square feet
(See Note 4-38)

1 2 5 6 4-39 : A=22 square yards

3
4-40 : A=545 square yards

Each of the end areas of the area of excavation has different dimensions and are shown in the following table:

29
 LEFT END
SHAPE LENGTH WIDTH SIDE 1 SIDE 2 ALTITUDE
1 1.20 FEET 3.20 FEET
2 3.20 FEET 4.16 FEET 2.69 FEET
3 14.61 FEET 4.16 FEET
5-9: n=7
4 12.40 FEET .89 FEET
5 4.16 FEET 2.72 FEET 3.00 FEET
5-10: n=12
6 1.50 FEET 2.72 FEET
RIGHT END
5-11: n=6.9
SHAPE LENGTH WIDTH SIDE 1 SIDE 2 ALTITUDE
1 1.20 FEET 3.00 FEET
5-12: n=5.84
2 3.00 FEET 4.12 FEET 2.69 FEET
3 14.61 FEET 4.12 FEET
5-13: n=11
4 12.40 FEET .81 FEET
5 4.12 FEET 2.65 FEET 3.00 FEET
5-14: n=12
6 1.50 FEET 2.65 FEET
5-15: n=4
4-52 Using the information from the chart above, calculate to the nearest hundredth of a cubic yard
5-16: n=12 the amount of additional soil that must be excavated given that the length of the channel is 84 feet.

5-17: yes (See Note 5-17)

5-18: n=18

5-19: yes

5-20: n=32

5-21: n=7

5-22: y=51

5-23: y=51

30
UNIT V – TECHNIQUES OF ALGEBRA
It is possible that you will not have to study this unit. Your solutions to the following problems will determine
your ability in certain algebraic skills.

Solve the following equations:

5-1 y + 6 = 14
5-2 4r + 7 = 31
5-3 w/5 = 4
5-4 9r – 5 = 67
5-5 w/.6 + 2.4 = 3.9
5-6 .5n = 6
5-7 3.5y + 7.03 = 21.38
5-8 r/2.06 + 1.3 = 8.2

If you have seven or eight solutions correct, go on to Unit VI.

If you have less than seven solutions correct, complete this unit. 4-51: 184 cubic yards

A. Introduction

There will be many situations in which you will be required to answer questions similar to the following:

1a) What number added to 8 gives you 34?

2a) What number multiplied by 12 gives you 30?
3a) What number subtracted from 500 leaves 385?

Each of these statements can be written as an equation. They could be stated as follows, where “N” represents the
unknown value:

1b) N + 8 = 34
2b) 12N = 30
3b) 500 – N = 385

The techniques of algebra that you will learn in this section will enable you to find the solutions to these types of
equations.

31
 B. Solution of Equations
5-45: n=4
5-46: n=5 3+ 2 = 5 is an equation. If you subtract 2 from both sides of the equation, you get a new statement that says 3+2
–2 = 5 – 2. It can easily be seen that the left-hand side and the right-hand side are still equal. This means that we
5-47: r=36 still have an equation. Similarly, if we subtracted 4 from both sides of the equation n + 4 = 7, we would get a new
5-48: y=10.2 equation that states n + 4 – 4 = 7 – 4, which can be written as n = 3.

5-49: w=.8 In general, you can subtract the same value from both sides of an equation and form a new statement that is still an
5-50: n=7.0 equation (both sides are still equal).

5-51: r=3.48 5-9 Subtract 1 from both sides of the equation n + 1 = 8.

5-52: w=1.3 5-10 Subtract 13 from both sides of the equation n + 13 = 25.
5-11 Subtract 1.5 from both sides of the equation n + 1.5 = 8.4.
5-53: n=1.2 5-12 Subtract .54 from both sides of the equation n + .54 = 6.38.

Similarly, you may add the same number to both sides of an equation, multiply both sides of an equation by the
5-54: y=4 same number (other than zero), or divide both sides of an equation by the same number (other than zero). In all
5-55: y=5 cases, your result is a new statement that is still an equation.

5-56: w=40 5-13 Add 3 to both sides of the equation n – 3 = 8.

5-57: n=14 5-14 Multiply both sides of the equation n/4 = 3 by 4.
5-15 Divide both sides of the equation 5n = 20 by 5.
5-58: y=6
5-59: n=3.43 Solving an equation means using the above rules to get the unknown value by itself on one side of the equation.

5-60: r=4.2 5-16 Solve the equation n + 13 = 25 by subtracting 13 from both sides.
5-61: n=4
The value “12” from problem 5-16 is called the solution of the equation. If you substitute the solution value of the
5-62: n=36 unknown into the original equation, then a true statement will result. You should use this fact to check your solu-
5-63: w=5.1 tion.

5-64: w=.5 5-17 If you substitute n = 12 into the equation n + 13 = 25, do you get a true statement?
5-65: r=2.3 5-18 Solve the equation n – 7 = 11 by adding 7 to both sides.
5-19 Does the solution to problem 5-18 make the equation n – 7 = 11 a true statement?
5-66: w=9.6 5-20 Solve the equation n/8 = 4 by multiplying both sides by 8.
5-67: n=1.1 5-21 Solve the equation 3n = 21 by dividing both sides by 3.
5-22 Solve the equation n – 14 = 37 by addition.
5-68: r=1.03 5-23 Solve the equation y – 14 = 37 by addition.

32
As you can see, it does not matter what letter is used to indicate the unknown value. The method of solution is the
same.

5-24 Solve the equation 14y = 42 by division.

5-25 Solve the equation n/12 = 9 by multiplication.
5-26 In question 5-25 what does the answer represent?
5-27 Solve the equation y + 4.3 = 8.5 by subtraction.
5-28 Solve the equation y + 18 = 74.
5-1: y=8
5-29 Solve the equation n/11 = 1.
5-30 Solve the equation r – 2.4 = 10.0.
5-31 Solve the equation 4y = 28.
5-2: r=6
5-32 Solve the equation w + 1.4 = 20.
5-33 Solve the equation 2n = 1000.
5-3: w=20
In many equations it is necessary to perform two operations in order to obtain the solution. For example, if you
want to solve the equation 2n + 3 = 7, you must first subtract 3 from both sides, leaving you with the equation 2n
= 4. Then you must divide both sides of this new equation by 2, resulting in n = 2.
5-4: r=8
5-34 What does the value n = 2 represent?
5-35 Subtract 5 from both sides of the equation 3n + 5 = 14.
5-5: w=.90
5-36 Divide both sides of the resulting equation from problem 5-35 by 3 to obtain the solution of the
original equation 3n + 5 = 14.
5-37 Does the value obtained in problem 5-36 make the original equation 3n + 5 = 14 a true state-
5-6: n=12
ment?
5-38 Add 7 to both sides of the equation 4n – 7 = 29.
5-39 Now, divide both sides of the new equation from problem 5-38 by 4.
5-7: y=4.1
5-40 Subtract 1.4 from both sides of the equation n/2 + 1.4 = 6.8.
5-41 Now, multiply both sides of the new equation from problem 5-40 by 2.
5-42 Solve the equation 8n – 18 = 22 by first adding 18 to both sides of the equation and then dividing
5-8: r=14.214
both sides of the new equation by 8.
5-43 Solve the equation n/14 + 3 = 9 by first subtracting 3 from both sides of the equation and then
multiplying both sides of the new equation by 14.
5-44 Solve the equation y/9 – 6 = 11 by first adding 6 to both sides of the equation and then
multiplying both sides of the new equation by 9.

In problems 5-34 through 5-44, where you had to perform two operations, first you added or subtracted the same
value from both sides of the equation and then multiplied or divided both sides of your new equation by a common
value.
33
 In general, when two or more operations are needed to solve an equation, first perform the additions or
subtractions and then perform the multiplications or divisions.

6-11: 7/8 5-45 Solve the equation 4n + 9 = 25

5-46 Solve the equation 6 n – 5 = 25
6-12: 5.3:7 5-47 Solve the equation r/3 – 4 =8
6-13: 6:w 5-48 Solve the equation y/6 - .3 = 1.4
5-49 Solve the equation 8w + .9 = 7.3
6-14: 9:13 5-50 Solve the equation 1.2n – 2.3 = 6.1
5-51 Solve the equation r/.6 – 3 = 2.8
6-15: 7/9 5-52 Solve the equation 7w + 1.8 = 10.9
6-16: 6:11 and 6/11 5-53 Solve the equation 4.06n – 1.431 = 3.441

6-17: 7.23:8.98 and 7.23/8.98 Supplementary Problems

6-18: 2/3=8/12
Solve the following equations:
6-19: n/3=8/12
5-54 y + 8 = 12
6-20: 27:36=3:4 or 27/36=3/4 5-55 3y = 15
5-56 w/5 = 8
6-21: 27/b=3/4 or 27:b=3:4
5-57 m–6=8
6-22: 11:12=n:24 or 11/12=n/24 5-58 4y = 24
5-59 n + .25 = 3.68
6-23: a/14=c/7 or a:14=c:7 5-60 r/.6 = 7
5-61 3n + 4 = 16
6-24 : 5/b=c/d or 5:b=c:d
5-62 n/6 – 4 = 2
6-25 : a/b=c/d or a:b=c:d 5-63 w/3 - .5 = 1.2
5-64 5w + .7 = 3.2
6-26 : Yes, the common product is 24 5-65 1.8r + 1.87 = 6.01
5-66 w/2.4 – 3 = 1
6-27 : They are equal
5-67 5.17n – 3.012 = 2.675
6-28: They are equal 5-68 80.7r + 3.682 = 86.803

6-29: They are equal

34
UNIT VI – RATIO AND PROPORTION
It is possible that you will not have to study this unit. Your solutions to the following problems will determine 5-24: y=3
your ability in working with ratios and proportions. You may use either formulas you have available in this manual 5-25: n=108
or any other references.
5-26: It is the solution to n/12=9
Answer the following questions:
5-27: y=4.2
6-1 Solve for n in the following proportion: 2/5 = N/20. 5-28: y=56
6-2 If 20 pounds of coarse aggregate are mixed with 50 pounds of fine aggregate, what is the ratio of
coarse aggregate to fine aggregate? 5-29: n=11
6-3 If 12 pounds of fine aggregate are mixed with 60 pounds of coarse aggregate, what is the ratio of
5-30: r=12.4
fine aggregate to the total mixture?
6-4 A certain concrete mixture contains sand, gravel, and cement in a ratio of 3:7:2. If 140 pounds 5-31: y=7
of gravel are used, how many pounds of cement would be needed, and how many pounds of sand would
be needed? 5-32: w=18.6
6-5 In an 1,800 pound mixture of concrete, the gravel, cement, sand, and water ingredients are in a
5-33: n=500
ratio of 6:2:3:1. What is the weight of each ingredient?
6-6 If it takes 600 gallons of bituminous prime to cover 3,200 square yards of roadway, how many 5-34: It is the solution to 2n+3=7
gallons of bituminous prime will it take to cover 4,800 square yards?
6-7 Find the slope of an embankment between two points if the difference in elevation of the two 5-35: 3n=9
points is 12.7 feet, and the horizontal distance between the two points is 66.4 feet. Express your answer
5-36: n=3
to the nearest tenth.
6-8 The slope of a certain cut is 3:1. If the vertical distance is 15.5 feet, find the horizontal distance. 5-37: yes
Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot.
6-9 Find the in-place wet density of a test hole sample if the weight of the wet soil is 20.5 pounds 5-38: 4n=36
and the volume of the test hole is .173 cubic feet. Express your answer to the nearest hundredth.
5-39: n=9
6-10 Find the specific gravity of a test sample whose density is 47.6 pounds per cubic foot. Express
your answer to the nearest tenth. 5-40: n/2=5.4

If you have 9 or 10 answers correct, go on to Unit VII. If you have less than 9 answers correct, you must take this 5-41: n=10.8
unit.
5-42: n=5

A. Introduction 5-43: n=84

A ratio is the comparison of two numbers by division. Some examples of ratios include 3/4, 1:2, 5/n, 5/6, and 5:6. 5-44: y=153
Notice that a ratio can be written using a fraction bar (/) or a colon (:). Ratios are read as follows:

35
 3/4 is the ratio of 3 to 4.
1:2 is the ratio of 1 to 2.
5/n is the ratio of 5 to n (where n is an unknown).
5/6 is the ratio of 5 to 6.
6-51: n-288; therefore, 288 pounds
5:6 is the ratio of 5 to 6 (notice, 5/6 = 5:6)
of course aggregate must be added
6-11 Write the ratio of 7 to 8, using a fraction bar.
6-52: 9.6n
6-12 Write the ratio of 5.3 to 7, using a colon.
6-13 Write the ratio of 6 to w, using a colon.
6-53: n=2,260
6-14 Write 9/13, using a colon.
6-15 Write 7:9, using a fraction bar.
6-54: 1,000 gallons prime needed
6-16 Write the ratio of 6 to 11 both with a colon and with a fraction bar.
6-17 Write the ratio of 7.23 to 8.98 both with a colon and with a fraction bar.
6-55: 750 lbs.
A proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal. For examples, the ratio 1/2 equals the ratio 2/4, therefore, 1/2
6-56: 12,500 lbs.
= 2/4 is a proportion; the ratio 3/8 equals the ratio 12/32, therefore, 3/8 = 12/32 is a proportion; the ratio 2:3 equals
the ratio 4:6, therefore, 2:3 = 4:6 is a proportion; and the ratio 9.3:3 equals the ratio 3.1:1, therefore, 9.3:3 = 3.1:1
6-57: 50 lbs. cement and 200 lbs.
is a proportion.
gravel
6-18 Write as a proportion, the ratio 2/3 equals the ratio 8/12
6-58: 7/10 or 7:10
6-19 Write as a proportion, the ratio n/3 equals the ratio 8/12
6-20 Write as a proportion, the fact that the ratio 27:36 equals the ratio 3:4
6-59: 3/10 or 3:10
6-21 Write as a proportion, the fact that the ratio 27/b equals the ratio 3/4
6-22 Write as a proportion, the fact that the ratio 11:12 equals the ratio n:24
6-60: 1/4 or 1:4
6-23 Write as a proportion, the fact that the ratio a/14 equals the ratio c/7
6-24 Write as a proportion, the fact that the ratio 5/b equals the ratio c/d
6-61: 3/4 or 3:4
6-25 Write as a proportion, the fact that the ratio a/b equals the ratio c/d
6-26 In the proportion 2/3 = 8/12 (from problem 6-18) does 2 x 12 equal 3 x 8?
6-62 : 15 lbs. of water
6-27 In the proportion 27/36 = 3/4 (from problem 6-20) what is the relationship between 27 x 4 and 36 x 3?
6-28 In the proportion 1/1.20 = 2/2.40 what is the relationship between 1 x 2.40 and 1.20 x 2?
6-63 : 15.6 lbs course and 64.8 lbs.
6-29 In the general proportion a/b = c/d what should be the relationship between a x d and b x c?
fine

6-64 : 500 lbs. cement B. Solving Proportions

1,250 lbs. sand
1,500 lbs. gravel Whenever an equation contains an unknown value (for example, 2/3 = 8/n), your job is to find the value of the
unknown which makes the proportion a true statement. In other words, you must solve the proportion. To do this,
you first use the principle from problem 6-29 to write the proportion as an equation in the form a x b = c x d; then
solve this equation using the algebraic techniques you have already learned.

36
 6-30 Use the principle from problem 6-29 above to write the proportion 2/3 = 8/n in the form a x b = c x d.
6-31 Solve the equation 2n = 24
6-32 If you substitute n = 12 into the proportion 2/3 = 8/n, do you get a true statement?
6-33 Write the proportion n/4 = 15/20 in the form a x b = c x d. 6-1: n=8
6-34 Solve the equation 20n = 60
6-35 What does the value n = 3 represent for the proportion n/4 = 15/20?
6-36 Solve the proportion 12/14 = 6/n 6-2: 2/5 pr 2:5
6-37 Solve the proportion n/16 = 3/8.
6-38 Solve the proportion 12/24 = n/6
6-39 Solve the proportion 18/30 = n/25 6-3: 1/6 or 1:6
6-40 Solve the proportion 5:n = 15:18
6-41 Solve the proportion 4/n = 5/8 (Express your answer in decimal form).
6-42 Solve the proportion 6:1.3 = 9:n 6-4 : 60 lbs. of sand and 40 lbs. of
6-43 Solve the proportion n/9 = 8.2/.4 cement

C. Applications
6-5 : 900 lbs. of gravel, 300 lbs. of
In many situations you are interested in the ratio of two quantities. For example, in preparing a roadbed you would cement, 450 lbs. of sand and 150
be concerned with the ratio of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate; in checking compaction you would be interested lbs. of water
in the ratio of the weight of moisture to the weight of dry soil, and in reading blueprints you would be concerned
with the ratio of distance on the blueprint to distance on the ground.
6-6 : 900 gallons
6-44 In constructing a certain roadbed, for every 45 pounds of coarse aggregate, 15 pounds of fine
aggregate must be added. What is the ratio of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate?
6-45 If 55 pounds of coarse aggregate are mixed with 22 pounds of fine aggregate, what is the ratio of 6-7: 5.2:1
coarse aggregate to fine aggregate?
6-46 On a compaction report it was found that the weight of moisture in a certain soil sample was 65
grams and the weight of the dry soil was 455 grams. What is the ratio of the weight of the moisture to the 6-8 : 46.5 feet
weight of the dry soil?
6-47 A certain concrete mixture contains 45 pounds of cement, 90 pounds of sand, and 135 pounds of
gravel. What is the ratio of cement to sand? 6-9 : 118.50 lbs. per cubic foot
6-48 In problem 6-47, what is the ratio of sand to gravel?
6-49 In problem 6-47, what is the ratio of cement to gravel?
6-50 In a certain roadbed the ratio of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate is to be 3:2. How many 6-10: .8
pounds of fine aggregate must be added to 75 pounds of coarse aggregate to give the desired ratio? (Hint:
Let n = the number of pounds of fine aggregate and use a proportion to solve the problem).
6-51 On another roadbed the ratio of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate is to be 4:1. How many

37
 pounds of coarse aggregate must be added to 72 pounds of fine aggregate to give the desired ratio? (Hint
– Let n = the number of pounds of coarse aggregate in your proportion).
6-52 If water and cement are mixed in the ratio 1.5:3.2, and 4.5 pounds of water are used, how much
cement is used? (Hint – Let n = the number of pounds of cement to be used).
6-53 If gravel and sand are in a certain concrete mix in the ratio 2:2.70 and 3,051 pounds of sand is
used, how much gravel must be used?
6-54 If it takes 1,200 gallons of bituminous prime to cover 7,200 square yards of roadway, how many
gallons will it take to cover 6,000 square yards? (Hint – If 1,200 gallons of bituminous prime covers
7,200 square yards of roadway, then the ratio of the amount of bituminous prime to the area covered is
1,200:7,200).
6-55 A concrete mix contains cement, sand, and gravel in the ratio 2:3:5. If 500 pounds of cement are
used in the mixture, how many pounds of sand are needed? (Hint – The ratio of cement to sand is 2:3).
6-56 In problem 6-55, how many pounds of gravel are needed? (Hint – The ratio of cement to gravel
is 2:5).
6-79: 18,798 pounds
6-57 In a certain concrete mix, the ratio of cement to sand to gravel is 1:3:4. How many pounds of
cement and how many pounds of gravel must be added to 150 pounds of sand to give the desired mixture?
(Hint – Solve this problem as two separate problems as in problems 6-55 and 6-56).
6-80: .9 (See Note 6-80)
If, in a certain soil sample, the ratio of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate is 4:5, then the total soil sample could be
thought of as having 4 + 5, or 9, parts. This means that the ratio of coarse aggregate to the total sample is 4/9 and
6-81: 1.1
the ratio of fine aggregate to the total sample is 5/9.

6-58 If coarse aggregate and fine aggregate are in the ratio 7:3, what is the ratio of coarse aggregate to
6-82: Density=17.33 lbs/cf
the total sample?
Specific Gravity = 2.8
6-59 Using the ratio from problem 6-58, what is the ratio of fine aggregate to the total sample?
6-60 Water and cement are mixed in the ratio 1:3. What is the ratio of the amount of water to the total
mixture?
6-61 Using the ratio from problem 6-60, what is the ratio of the amount of cement to the total
mixture?
6-62 If the total mixture in problems 6-60 and 6-61 weighs 60 pounds, what is the amount of water in
the mixture?
6-63 If a certain soil sample weighs 80.4 pounds and the ratio of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate is
1.3:5.4, find the weight of coarse aggregate and the weight of fine aggregate in the sample.
6-64 The ratio of cement to sand to gravel in a concrete mix is 1:2.5:3. If the concrete weighs 3,250
pounds, find the amount of cement, sand, and gravel needed.

Another application of ratio and proportion that you must study involves the idea of slope. Slope is the ratio of
horizontal distance to vertical distance. For instance, the slope between any two points of an embankment is the
ratio of the horizontal distance between the two points to the vertical distance between the two points. Always
38
express slope ratios so that the second number in the ratio is “1.”
6-30: 2 x n=3 x 8 or 2n=24
6-65 Find the slope of a hill if the horizontal distance is 200 feet and the vertical distance is 50 feet.
6-66 A surface drain ditch is 9 feet from the edge of the shoulder of a road and 1.5 feet below the 6-31: n=12
level of the road. Find the slope between the ditch and the shoulder of the road. 6-32: yes
6-67 A cut has a 40.1-foot depth corresponding to a horizontal distance of 60.15 feet. Find the slope
6-33: n x 20= 4 x 15 or 20n=60
of the cut.
6-68 An exit ramp has a slope of 5:1. How far does the ramp fall vertically for every 75 feet of hori - 6-34: n=3
zontal distance?
6-35: It represents the solution
6-69 An embankment has a slope of 6:1. If the difference in elevation between the top of slope and
because 3/4=15/20
old ground is 21.0 feet, find the horizontal distance to the toe of slope.
6-70 A cut has a slope of 2:1. If the vertical distance is 40.1 feet, find the horizontal distance.
6-71 A fill is to be constructed against a hillside whose slope is 4:1. If the height of the top of the hill is 6-36: n=7
53.2 feet, find the horizontal distance corresponding to this vertical distance. 6-37: n=6
6-72 An embankment has a slope of 2:1. If the difference in elevation between the top of slope and
old ground is 28.5 feet, find the horizontal distance to the toe of slope. 6-38: 3=n (It does not matter on
which side of the equation it
Another ratio that is needed is the ratio of the weight of an item to its volume. This ratio is known as the density appears; the method for solving for
of the item, which can be expressed as follows: the unknown are the same)

Density = (weight)/(volume)
6-39: 15=n

6-73 Find the density of the wet soil in a test hole if the wet soil weighs 8.4 pounds and the volume of 6-40: 6=n
the hole is .07 cubic feet. 6-41: 6.4=n
6-74 A Proctor mold whose volume is .05 cubic feet contains a sample whose weight is 4.108 pounds. 6-42: n=1.95
Find the density of the sample to the nearest hundredth of a pound per cubic foot.
6-75 Find the in-place wet density of a soil sample if the weight of the wet soil is 8.7 pounds and the 6-43: n=184.5
volume of the test hole is .068 cubic feet. Express your answer to the nearest hundredth. 6-44: 3/1 or 3:1
6-76 The density of asphalt is 63.58 pounds per cubic foot and the volume of asphalt on a certain 6-45: 5/2 or 5:2
section of roadway is 126,720 cubic feet. Find the weight of the asphalt on the roadway to the nearest
hundredth. (Hint – Solve using algebraic techniques). 6-46: 1/7 or 1:7
6-77 If the density of asphalt is 62.71 pounds per cubic foot and the volume of asphalt on a certain 6-47: 1/2 or 1:2
bridge is 7,920 cubic feet, find the weight of the asphalt on the bridge to the nearest hundredth. 6-48: 2/3 or 2:3

The usual unit of measurement for asphalt is gallons rather than pounds. 6-49: 1/3 (See Note 6-49)

6-50: 50=n; therefore, 50 lbs. of

6-78 If it takes 8.5 pounds of asphalt in problem 6-77 to equal one gallon of asphalt, how many
fine aggregate are needed
gallons of asphalt are needed?

39
 6-79 A truckload of wet aggregate of density 72.3 pounds per cubic foot has a capacity of 260 cubic
feet. What is the weight of the aggregate to the nearest pound?

7-9: 60% You will also need to work with another ratio that is called Specific Gravity. The specific gravity of a substance is
the ratio of the density of the substance to the density of water (62.4 pounds per cubic foot).
7-10: 62.5%
6-80 Find the specific gravity of a sample of a substance whose density is 58.6 pounds per cubic foot.
7-11: 66.7%. When changing a Express your answer to the nearest tenth.
ratio to percent form, round your 6-81 A certain sample of asphalt has a density of 69.4 pounds per cubic foot. Find the specific gravity
decimal to two more places than of the asphalt to the nearest tenth.
the required precision. 6-82 A sample of concrete was taken. The volume of the sample was .018 cubic feet and its weight
was 3.120 pounds. Find the density to the nearest hundredth and the specific gravity to the nearest tenth
7-12: 54.5% of the test sample.

7-13: 250%

7-14: 16.2/100

7-15 : 255,000 cubic yards have

been removed.

7-16 : 1,800 feet have been com-

pleted.

7-17 : .93 pounds of fines.

7-18 : 4,560 pounds of fine aggre-

gate.

7-19 : 300 pounds of cement in the

mixture.

7-20 : 6.6% of fines.

7-21 : 25.8% cement in the mixture.

40
UNIT VII – PERCENTAGE
It is possible that you will not have to study this Unit. Your answers to the following problems will determine
your ability in working with percentages.

Answer the following questions: 6-65: 4:1

7-1 If 60% of 377,000 cubic yards of cut have been removed, what is the number of cubic yards of 6-66: 6:1
cut that must still be removed?
7-2 What is the percent of fines in a soil sample that contains .75 pounds of fines if the total sample 6-67: 1.5:1
weighs 9.68 pounds? Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.
7-3 What is the total amount of uncompacted bituminous concrete needed for 350 cubic yards of 6-68: 15 feet
compacted concrete, if the compaction rate is 19%? Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a cubic
yard. 6-69: 126.0 feet
7-4 What is the percent of moisture based on the dry weight of a soil sample if the weight of the
moisture is 68.5 grams and the weight of the dry soil is 472.6 grams? Express your answer to the nearest 6-70: 80.2 feet
tenth of a percent.
7-5 What is the percent of grade of a certain roadway if it falls 7 feet in 196 feet of horizontal 6-71: 212.8 feet
distance? Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.
7-6 How much does a roadway rise from the shoulder to center of the roadway if the percent grade 6-72 : 57.0 feet
between these two points is 1.7% and the horizontal distance from the shoulder to the center is 12.0 feet?
Express your answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot. 6-73 : 120 pounds per cubic feet.
7-7 A certain concrete mixture is composed of 52 pounds of cement, 156 pounds of sand, and 260
pounds of gravel. What is the percent of cement in the mixture to the nearest tenth of a percent? 6-74 : 82.16 pounds per cubic foot
7-8 The elevation of the Profile Grade Line (P.G.L.) of a certain section of superelevated roadway is
56.00 feet. Find the elevation of one edge of the road if the percent grade to the edge of the road is 6-75 : 127.94 pounds per cubic foot
+3.8% and the horizontal distance from the P.G.L. to the edge of the road is 12.0 feet? Express your
answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot. 6-76: 8,056,857.60 pounds. (See
Note 6-76)
If you have seven or eight answers correct, go on to Unit VIII. If you have less than seven answers correct,
complete this Unit. 6-77: 496,663.20 pounds

6-78: 58,430.96 gallons

A. Introduction

In this Unit you will be working with another way of expressing a ratio which is called a percent. To change a
ratio to percent form, convert the fraction (ratio) to a decimal, multiply this decimal by 100, and then attach a
percent sign (%).

41
 For example, the fraction 3/4 is first converted to the decimal .75. Then, the decimal .75 is multiplied by 100 to
become 75. Finally, a percent sign is attached to become 75%. Therefore, 3/4 = 75%.

7-9 Change 3/5 to percent form.

7-10 Change 5:8 to percent form.
7-11 Change 2/3 to percent form, precise to the nearest tenth.
7-12 Change 6/11 to percent form, precise to the nearest tenth.
7-13 Change 5/2 to percent form.
7-32 : The vertical distance is 15.6
feet. To change from percent form to ratio form, remove the percent sign and write the number over 100. Fo r example,
15% can be written as 15/100. Your answer need not be simplified.
7-33 : The width is 97.1 feet.
7-14 Change 16.2% to ratio form.
7-34 : The fall of the lane is .16 feet.
B. Applications of Percentages
7-35 : The fall of the shoulder is .50
feet. In all applications of percentages, a percent means a part of the whole. It represents the part you have or want
compared to the total amount. In other words:
7-36 : The fall of the right lane is .49
feet. The rise of the left lane is .49 Percent (in ratio form) = (part you have or want)/(total amount).
feet. The fall of the shoulder is .19
feet. The rise of the right shoulder For example, if 425,000 cubic yards of cut are to be excavated, and you know that 60% has already been removed,
is .59 feet. you can determine how many cubic yards have been removed by using the formula just explained. The expression
is written as 60/100 = (n)/(425,000) where n is the number of cubic yards already removed.
7-37 : The fall is .12 feet.
7-15 In the previous example, determine how many cubic yards of cut have already been removed.
7-38 : The elevation of the right- 7-16 A 5,000-foot stretch of roadway is to be constructed. If 36% of the job is completed, how many
hand edge is 64.51 feet and the feet of roadway are completed?
elevation of the left-hand edge is 7-17 A soil sample weighing 15 pounds contains 6.2% fines. How many pounds of fines are in the
65.49 feet. sample?
7-18 12,000 pounds of aggregate is to have 62% coarse aggregate. How many pounds of fine
aggregate are needed?
7-19 A 1,500-pound mixture of cement and sand contains 80% sand. How many pounds of cement
are in the mixture?
7-20 What is the percent of fines in a soil sample if the fines weigh .62 pounds and the total sample
weighs 9.35 pounds? Write your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.
7-21 A cement and sand mixture contains 96 pounds of cement and 276 pounds of sand. What is the
percent of cement in the total mixture to the nearest tenth of a percent?

42
 7-22 A certain concrete mixture contains 192 pounds of cement, 480 pounds of sand, and 576 pounds
of gravel. What is the percent of each ingredient in the concrete mixture? Express your answer to the
nearest tenth of a percent.
7-23 What is the total amount, to the nearest hundredth of a cubic yard, of uncompacted bituminous
concrete needed for 200 cubic yards of compacted concrete, if the compacted concrete is 80% of the
uncompacted concrete?
7-24 What is the total amount, to the nearest tenth of a cubic yard, of uncompacted fill needed for
7.12 cubic yards of compacted fill, if the compaction rate is 9%? (Hint: If the compaction rate is 9%,
then the amount of compacted soil is 91% of the uncompacted soil.)

In a compaction test, the percent of moisture based on dry weight is the ratio of the weight of the moisture to the
weight of the dry soil and should be expressed as a percent.
7-1: 150,800 cubic yards
7-25 Find the percent of moisture based on dry weight in a certain soil sample, if the weight of the
7-2: 7.7%
moisture is 72.8 grams and the weight of the dry soil is 451.6 grams. Express your answer to the nearest
tenth of a percent.
7-3: 432.1 cubic yards
7-26 Find the percent of moisture based on dry weight in a certain soil sample if the weight of the
moisture is 56.7 grams and the weight of the dry soil is 467.8 grams. Express your answer to the nearest
7-4: 14.5%
tenth of a percent.
7-5: -3.6%
Another important application of percentages is the idea of percent of grade. Percent of grade is an expression of a
rise or fall of a roadway as a ratio of the vertical distance to the horizontal distance and is expressed as a percent.
7-6: .20 feet
7-27 Given a length of road that rises 20 feet for every 500 feet of horizontal distance, what is the per -
7-7: 11.1%
cent of grade?
7-28 Given a length of road that falls 20 feet for every 500 feet of horizontal distance, what is the per-
7-8: 56.46 feet
cent of grade?

Notice that in Problem 7-27 the grade was expressed as positive (+) because the roadway was rising, and in
Problem 7-28 the grade was expressed as negative (-) because the roadway was falling.

7-29 What is the percent of grade of a ramp that falls 13 feet for every 142 feet of horizontal distance?
Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.
7-30 The horizontal distance between two points on a roadway is 37.7 feet. The difference in
elevation between these points is 5.5 feet. Find the percent of grade of the roadway to the nearest tenth of
a percent if the roadway rises between the two points.
7-31 The elevations of points A and B on a certain roadway have been determined as 50.00 feet and
53.60 feet, respectively. If the horizontal distance between the two points is 87.3 feet, find the percent of
grade of the roadway from point A to point B to the nearest tenth of a percent.
43
 7-32 Find the rise of a roadway to the nearest tenth of a foot if the horizontal distance is 973.3 feet at
a grade of 1.6%. (Hint: Change the percent to ratio form and then work as a proportion.)
7-33 Find the width of a ravine to be spanned by a bridge whose percent of grade is –5.6% and whose
fall is 5.44 feet. Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot. (Hint – 5.6% = 5.6/100).

You will be concerned with calculating percent of grade for cross-sections of roadways for banking and draining
purposes. The cross slope of a roadway (the percent of grade from the centerline to the shoulder) is normally
measured from the P.G.L. The P.G.L. of many roadways is the centerline.
8-9: 77° 20' 34"
7-34 A certain roadway has a 12.0-foot wide travel lane with a grade (cross slope) of 1.3%. Find the
fall of the travel lane measured to the nearest hundredth of a foot.
7-35 A certain shoulder of a roadway is 10.0 feet wide and has a grade (cross slope) of 5.0%. Find
the fall of the shoulder measured to the nearest hundredth of a foot.
8-10: .4 square feet
When one lane of a roadway has a positive (+) percent of grade and the other lane has a negative ( -) percent of
grade, then the roadway is said to be superelevated.

A certain roadway is constructed as follows, with the P.G.L being between the left and right lanes.

8-11 Acute angle SECTION WIDTH GRADE

LEFT SHOULDER 10.0 feet -1.9%
8-12 Obtuse angle LEFT LANE 12.0 feet +4.1%
RIGHT LANE 12.0 feet -4.1%
8-13 Right angle RIGHT SHOULDER 10.0 feet -5.9%

8-14 Right angle

7-36 Using the information from the chart above, find the fall of the right lane, the rise of the left lane,
and the fall of each of the two shoulders. Express all your answers to the nearest hundredth of a foot.
8-15 105°; obtuse angle
7-37 Using the information from the chart above, calculate the amount of fall 3 feet to the right of the
P.G.L. Express your answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.
7-38 If the elevation of the P.G.L. from the chart above is 65.00 feet, calculate the elevations of the
two edges of the road to the nearest hundredth of a foot.

44
UNIT VIII – ANGLE MEASUREMENT
It is possible that you will not have to study this Unit. Your solutions to the following problems will determine
your ability in working with the concepts of angle measure presented in this Unit. 7-22 : There is 15.4% cement,
38.5% sand, and 46.2% gravel in
Solve the following problems: the mixture.

8-1 Find the measure of an angle that is complimentary to another angle whose measure is 28°. 7-23 : There are 250.00 cubic yards
8-2 Find the measure of an angle that is supplementary to another angle whose measure is 89°. of uncompacted concrete needed.
8-3 Find the measure of angle 2 in the following diagram if angle 1 has a measure of 8° 15’ 28”.
7-24 : There are 7.8 pounds of
uncompacted soil needed.

7-25 : There is 16.1% moisture in

1 2 the sample.

7-26 : There is 12.1% moisture in

the sample.
8-4 Find the measure of angle 3 in the following diagram if angle 1 has a measure of 83° 15’ and
lines r and m are parallel. 7-27 : The percent of grade is +4%.

8-5 Find the measure of angle 4 in the following diagram if angle 4 has a measure of 141° 10’ 16” 7-28: The percent of grade is -4%.
and lines r and m are parallel.
7-29: The percent of grade is
-9.2%.

7-30 : The percent of grade is

1 r
+14.6%.
2
2 m
3 7-31 : The percent of grade from
4
point A to point B is +4.1%.

8-6 Find the sum of the measures of three angles if their measures are 8° 21’ 18”, 27° 42’ 15”, and
89° 36’ 45”.
8-7 Subtract 17° 37’ 21” from 28° 14’ 8”.
8-8 Find the measure of the third angle of a triangle if the sum of the measures of the other two
angles is 76° 21’ 18”.

45
 8-9 Find the measure of angle 3 of a triangle if the measure of angle 1 is 84° 56’ 49” and the
measure of angle 2 is 17° 42’ 37”.
8-10 Find the area of a sector of a circle whose central angle is 30 if the radius of the circle is 1.2 feet.
Express your answer to the nearest tenth of a square foot.

If you have nine or ten solutions correct, go on to Unit IX. If you have less than nine solutions correct, complete
this Unit.

A. Introduction

In your work there are many situations in which you must work with angles. As examples, if two roadways inter -
sect, an angle is formed, a pile may be driven into the ground on an angle, an embankment is sloped at an angle to
a road, a retaining wall makes an angle with the shoulder of a road, and a bridge may be skewed at an angle to a
8-28: 115° (See Note 8-28) road.

Angles are determined by the intersection of two straight lines.

8-29: 81° (See Note 8-29)
The usual method of measuring an angle is with an instrument known as a protractor which is scaled in degrees (°)
from 0° to 360°.
8-30: 72° (See Note 8-30)
At a construction site, there is a protractor built into your transit.

8-31: 141° (See Note 8-31) B. Types of Angles

Angles whose measure is less than 90° are called acute angles. Angles whose measure is 90° are called right
8-32: 47° (See Note 8-32) angles. Angles whose measure is between 90° and 180° are called obtuse angles. Angles whose measure is 180°
are called straight angles and form a straight line.

8-11 Which type of angle has a measure of 48°?

8-12 Which type of angle has a measure of 173°?
8-13 Which type of angle has a measure of 90°?
8-14 Perpendicular lines form which type of angle?
8-15 An acute angle whose measure is 30° is added to an acute angle whose measure is 75°. What is
the measure of the resulting angle and which type of angle is it?

If the sum of the measures of two angles is 90°, then the two angles are complementary.

46
 8-16 What is the measure of an angle that is complementary to a 47° angle?
8-17 If the measure of angle 1 is 38° and if angle 1 and angle 2 are complementary, what is the measure
of angle 2?
8-18 If the measure of angle 2 is 34-1/2° what is the measure of angle 1 if the two angles are
complementary?

If the sum of the measures of two angles is 180°, then the two angles are supplementary.

8-19 What is the measure of an angle that is supplementary to a 47° angle? 8-1: 62°
8-20 If angle 1 and angle 2 are supplementary, and if the measure of angle 1 is 64°, what is the
measure of angle 2?
8-21 If the measure of angle 1 is 168°, what is the measure of angle 2 if the two angles are 8-2: 91°
supplementary?
8-22 The measure of angle 1 is 19°. If angle 1 is complementary to angle 2 and supplementary to
angle 3, what is the measure of angle 2 and what is the measure of angle 3? 8-3: 8° 15' 28"
8-23 The measure of angle 1 is 74°. If angle 1 is complementary to angle 2 and supplementary to
angle 3, what is the measure of angle 2 and what is the measure of angle 3?
8-4: 83° 15'
In the diagram below, angle 1 and angle 3 are a pair of vertical angles, and angle 2 and angle 4 are another pair of
vertical angles. Vertical angles have equal measure.
8-5: 38° 49' 44"

8-6: 125° 40' 18"

2 1
3 8-7: 10° 36' 47"
4

8-8: 103° 38' 42"

8-24 If angle 1 in the above diagram has a measure of 38°, what is the measure of angle 3?
8-25 If angle 1 in the above diagram has a measure of 38°, what is the measure of angle 4? (Hint –
Angle 1 and angle 4 are supplementary).
8-26 What is the measure of angle 2 in the above diagram?
8-27 If angle 2 in the above diagram has a measure of 123°, find the measures of angles 1, 3, and 4.

47
 1A 2A 3A r

8-56: 8° 19'
1B 2B 3B m
8-57: 3° 3' 3"

8-58: 37° 52'

8-59: 56° 12'

In the diagram above, lines r and m are parallel. If a line intersects two parallel lines, four pairs of corresponding
angles are formed. Each of the sets of numbered angles above illustrates a possible pair of corresponding angles.
8-60: 69° 17' 48"
Each pair of corresponding angles is equal.
8-61: 7° 54' 58"
8-28 If, in the above diagram, the measure of angle 1A is 115°, what is the measure of angle 1B?
8-62: 75° 43' 17"
Use the following diagram to answer questions 8-29 through 8-35. The two horizontal lines in the diagram are
parallel to each other.
8-63: 180 - 140 = 40; therefore,
the measure of the third angle is
40°.
1 2
8-64: 53° 32'
3 4
8-65: 70°

8-66: 58° 10'

5 6
8-67: 17°
7 8
8-68: 90° (the third angle is a right
angle)

8-29 If the measure of angle 2 is 81°, what is the measure of angle 7?

8-30 If the measure of angle 3 is 72°, find the measure of angle 6.
8-31 If the measure of angle 5 is 141°, what is the measure of angle 4?
8-32 If the measure of angle 1 is 133°, find the measure of angle 6.

48
 8-33 If the measure of angle 7 is 66°, find the measure of angle 4. 8-16: 90° - 47° = 43°; therefore, the
8-34 If the measure of angle 1 is 80°, what is the measure of angle 7? angle has a measure of 43°.
8-35 If the measure of angle 1 is 117°, find the measure of each of the other numbered angles.
8-17: 52°
C. Dividing Degrees into Minutes and Seconds
8-18: 55-1/2°
A degree can be divided into 60 parts. Each of these parts is known as a minute (‘). Therefore, 1 = 60’.
8-19: 180° - 47° = 133°; therefore,
8-36 How many minutes are 3°? the angle has a measure of 133°.
8-37 How many minutes are in 17 1/2°?
8-38 How many minutes are in 1/2°? 8-20: 116°
8-39 How many minutes are in 13/60°?
8-40 What part of a degree is 30’? (Hint – Since 1 = 60’, then 1’ = 1/60) 8-21: 12°
8-41 What part of a degree is 15’?
8-42 How many degrees are in 127’? 8-22 : The measure of angle 2 is 71°
8-43 Convert 196’ to degrees and minutes. and the measure of angle 3 is 161°.
8-44 Convert 87’ to degrees and minutes.
8-45 Convert 116’ to degrees and minutes. 8-23 : The measure of angle 2 is 16°
and the measure of angle 3 is 106°.
A minute can also be divided into 60 parts. Each part is known as a second (”). Therefore, 1’ = 60”.
8-24 : Since angle 1 and angle 3 are
8-46 How many seconds are in 5’? equal and the measure of angle 1 is
8-47 How many seconds are in 1/2’? 38°, the measure of angle 3 is 38°.
8-48 What part of a minute is 45”? (Hint – Since 1’ = 60”, then 1” = 1/60’)
8-49 What part of a minute is 30”? 8-25 : The measure of angle 4 is
8-50 Convert 169” to minutes and seconds. 142°.
8-51 Convert 78” to minutes and seconds.
8-52 If angle 1 has a measure of 45° 22’ and angle 2 has a measure of 16° 27’, find the sum of the 8-26: 142°
measures of angles 1 and 2.
8-27: Since angle 1 and angle 2 are
In general, when simplifying an angle measure involving degrees, minutes, and seconds, you must do the necessary supplementary, angle 1 has a
converting to make sure that your final answer does not have any more than 59 minutes or 59 seconds. measure of 57°.
Since angle 1 and angle 3 are
8-53 Angle 1 has a measure of 15° 43’ and angle 2 has a measure of 83° 32’. Find the sum of the vertical angles, angle 3 has a
measures of angles 1 and 2. measure of 57°.
8-54 A certain angle whose measure is 17° 41’ 38” is added to another angle whose measure is 44° 31’ Since angle 2 and angle 4 are
36”. Find their sum. vertical angles, angle 4 has a
8-55 Add 45°, 8° 27’, 15° 43”, and 10° 47’ 24”. Simplify your answer. measure of 123°. (See Note 8-27)

49
 8-56 Subtract 16° 22’ from 24° 41’.
8-57 Subtract 12° 13’ 14” from 15° 16’ 17”.
8-58 Subtract 29° 37’ from 67° 29’. (Hint – Since 37’ is larger than 29’, write 67° as 66° 60’ so that
67° 29’ = 66° 89’)
8-59 Subtract 123° 48’ from 180.
8-60 Subtract 49° 28’ 35” from 118° 46’ 23”.
8-61 Subtract 3° 54’ 4” from 11° 49’ 2”.
8-62 The measure of angle 1 is 104° 16’ 43” and angle 2 is supplementary to angle 1. Find the
measure of angle 2.

D. The Measures of the Angles of Triangles

9-1: 11
The sum of the measures of the three angles of any triangle is always 180°.
9-2: 2.5 8-63 If the sum of the measures of two angles of a triangle is 140°, find the measure of the third angle.
8-64 If the sum of the measures of two angles of a triangle is 126° 28’, find the measure of the third
9-3: 10 angle.
8-65 Two angles of a triangle measure 48° and 62°. Find the measure of the third angle.
9-4: 6.5 8-66 Two angles of a triangle measure 89° 20’ and 32° 30’. Find the measure of the third angle. 8-
67 Two angles of a triangle measure 132° 30’ and 30° 30’. Find the measure of the third angle.
9-5: 20 8-68 Two angles of a triangle measure 39° 31’ 49” and 50° 28’ 11”. Find the measure of the third
angle.
9-6: 5.3
E. Angles and Circles
9-7: 52.14 feet
An angle whose sides intersect at the center of a circle is called a central angle.
9-8: 57.08 feet

ANGLE 1

Angle 1 is a central angle. It determines a section of the circle and determines the size of the sector. The size of
the sector is the ratio of the measure of the central angle to 360° (the number of degrees in the whole circle).

50
 8-33: 114°
8-69 What is the size of the sector represented in the previous figure if the measure of angle 1 is 60°?
8-34: 100°
8-70 What is the size of the sector determined by a central angle whose measure is 135°?
8-71 If the area of the circle in problem 8-70 is 48 square feet, what is the area of the sector? 8-35 : The measure of angles 2, 3, 6,
8-72 Find the area of a sector whose central angle is 120° if the area of the circle is 68.1 square feet. and 7 is 63°, and the measure of
8-73 Find the area of a sector of a circle whose central angle is 108° if the radius of the circle is 6.31 angles 4, 5, and 8 is 117°.
feet. Express your answer to the nearest hundredth of a square foot. (Hint: A = r² is the formula for the 8-36 : 3 x 60 = 180; therefore, there
area of a circle.) are 180' in 3°.
8-74 A circular sector has been stripped during construction. Find the number of square yards of sod
8-37: 1050'
to the nearest square yard needed to cover the sector if the radius of the circle is 28.2 feet and the measure
of the central angle is 45°. 8-38: 30'
8-39: 13'
8-40: 30 x 1/60 = 1/2; therefore, 30'
is 1/2°.
8-41: 1/4°
8-42: 127 x 1/60 = 2 7/60; therefore,
there are 2-7/60° in 127'.
8-43: 196 x 1/60 = 3 16/60; there-
fore, there are 3° 16' in 196'.
8-44: 1° 27'
8-45: 1° 56'
8-46: 5 x 60 = 300; therefore, there
are 300" in 5'.
8-47: 30"
8-48: 45 x 1/60 = 3/4; therefore, 45"
= 3/4'.
8-49: 1/2'
8-50: 169 x 1/60 = 2-49/60; there-
fore, 169" = 2' 49".
8-51: 1' 18"
8-52: 61° 49'
8-53: 99° 15'
8-54: 62° 13' 14"
8-55: 79° 15' 7"

51
 9-31: 2.51 feet
UNIT IX – RIGHT TRIANGLES
9-32: 499.3 feet
It is possible that you will not have to study this Unit. Your solutions to the following problems will determine
your ability in working with the material on right triangles presented in this Unit.
9-33: 429.3 feet
9-1 What is the square root of 121?
9-2 What is the square root of 6.25?
9-3 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 6 and 8.
9-4 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 2.5 and 6.
9-5 Find the length of one leg of a right triangle if the other leg is 48 and the hypotenuse is 52. 9-
6 Find the length of one leg of a right triangle if the other leg is 4.6 and the hypotenuse is 7.0.
(Express your answer to the nearest tenth)
9-7 Find the horizontal length of a 52.24-foot section of sidewalk that falls 3.30 feet over this
distance. (Express your answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.)
9-8 What length of pipe is needed for a drain under a roadway if the outlet of the pipe is 38.65 feet
down the road from the inlet of the pipe and the roadway width is 42.00 feet? (Express your answer to
the nearest hundredth of a foot.)

If you have seven or eight answers correct you may omit this Unit. If you have less than seven answers correct,
complete this Unit.

A. Introduction

A triangle that has a right angle (90°) is a right triangle.

c a

In any triangle, such as the one above, the side “c” (opposite the right angle) is called the hypotenuse and the other
two sides “a” and “b” are called the legs. A basic principle of right triangles is that the square of the hypotenuse
equals the sum of the squares of the two legs. That is, c² = a² + b², where c² means c × c, a² means a × a, and b² =
b × b. In general, squaring a number means multiplying the number by itself.
52
 8-69: (measure of the central
9-9 Find 6². angle)/(360) = 60/360 = 1/6; there-
9-10 Find 13². fore, the sector is 1/6 of the circle.
9-11 Find (8.7)².
9-12 If a = 3, find a². 8-70: 3/8
9-13 If b = 4, find b².
9-14 If a = 3 and b = 4, find a² + b². 8-71 : Area of sector = (size of sec-
9-15 If c² = a² + b², and a = 3, and b = 4, find c². tor) × (area of circle) = 3/8 × 48
9-16 In problem 9-15, c represents the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 3 and 4. square feet = 18 square feet.
Since c² = 25, find c (the hypotenuse). (Hint – Find the number that gives 25 when multiplied by itself.)
9-17 If c² = a² + b², and a = 6, and b = 8, find c². 8-72 : 22.7 square feet
9-18 If c² = 100, find c.
9-19 If c² = a² + b², and a = 5, and b = 12, find c. 8-73 : 37.51 square feet

B. Application of the Pythagorean Theorem 8-74 : 34.7 square yards

The formula c² = a² + b² is called the Pythagorean Theorem. You will use this formula to find a side of a right tri-
angle given two other sides.

9-20 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle that has legs of 7 and 24.

The square roots of numbers can be found by many methods such as square root tables, a slide rule, a calculator,
etc.

9-21 Find the hypotenuse (c) of a right triangle whose legs are a = 10, and b = 24.
9-22 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 9 and 12.
9-23 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are .5 and 1.2.
9-24 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 1 and 2.4.
9-25 Find the leg of a right triangle whose other leg is 24 and has a hypotenuse of 25.
9-26 Find the unknown leg in a right triangle whose hypotenuse is 2.5 and whose other leg is 1.5. 9-
27 Find the unknown leg in a right triangle whose hypotenuse is 17.8 and whose other leg is 8.7.
(Express your answer to the nearest tenth.)
9-28 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 4.9 and 3.1. (Express your answer to the
nearest tenth.)
9-29 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 26.0 feet and 8.0 feet. (Express your
answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.)
9-30 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 12.0 feet and 5.0 feet. (Express your
answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.)

53
 9-31 Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 2.5 feet and .25 feet. (Express your
answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.)
9-32 A 500-foot stretch of roadway falls 27 feet. Find the corresponding horizontal distance to the
nearest tenth of a foot.
9-33 The difference in elevation between Station 40+30 and Station 45+10 along a certain slope is
214.7 feet. Find the horizontal distance to the nearest tenth of a foot.

54
Notes for Basic Highway Math
1-12 : The factors of 16 are: 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16. The factors of 24 are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12. The 9-9: 6² = 6 × 6 = 36
common factors for 16 and 24 are 1, 2, 4, & 8.
9-10: 169
1-13 : The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3,4, 6, and 12. The factors of 18 are: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 18. The factors 9-11: 75.69
for 24 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24. The common factors of 12, 18 and 24 are: 1, 2, 3, and 6.
9-12: a² = 3² = 9
1-14 : As you saw for Question 1-13, the common factors of 12, 18 and 24 is 1,2, 3 and 6. The largest of
9-13: 16
these is 6. Therefore, the G.C.F. (greatest common factor) for 12, 18 and 24 is 6.
9-14: 25
1-15 : The factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4 and 8. The factors for 12 are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12. The factors for 16
are 1,2, 4, 8, and 16. The common factors of 8, 12, and 16 are: 1, 2 and 4. Therefore, the G.C.F. of 8, 9-15: 25
12 and 16 is 4.
9-16: 5
1-16: 1X4= 4 9-17: 100
2X4= 8
3 X 4 = 12 9-18: c = 10 (See Note 9-18)
4 X 4 = 16
9-19: 13
5 X 4 = 20
6 X 4 = 24 9-20: 25
7 X 4 = 28
8 X 4 = 32 9-21: 26
9 X 4 = 36
9-22: 15
10 X 4 = 40; therefore, the first ten positive multiples are the boldface numbers counting by 4
through 40. 9-23: 1.3

1-18 : If you look at the answers for 1-16 and 1-17, you see that 12, 24, and 36 are multiples of both 4 9-24: 2.6
and 6. Therefore three common multiples for 4 and 6 are 12, 24, & 36.
9-25: 7
1-19 : From the answer for 1-18 you can see that the smallest of the common multiples is 12. Therefore 9-26: 2.0
the L.C.M. of 4 and 6 is 12.
9-27: 15.5
1-20: The multiples of 6 are: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42 ..... The multiples of 9 are 9,18, 27, 36, 45 .... The
multiples of 12 are 12, 24, 36, 48.... The L.C.M. of 6, 9, and 12 is 36. 9-28: 5.8

9-29: 27.20 feet

1-23: 5/5 = 1. If the numerator (top number) and denominator (bottom number) are equal, the improper
fraction may be written as 1. 9-30: 13.0 feet

55
 1-24: 15/20 = 3/4. In this case we have obtained divided the numerator and denominator by their G.C.F. (Greatest Common Factor) to produce a
simplified fraction. In general write all fractional answers in simplified or lowest common denominator form.

1-26: 13/9 = 1 4/9. In this case we have obtained an improper fraction and changed it to a mixed fraction by dividing the denominat or (9) into the
numerator (13) and placing the remainder (4) over the denominator. In general, to change from an improper fraction to a whole number or mixed
fraction (combination of a whole number and a fraction) divide the denominator into the numerator to obtain the whole number. Then if there is a
remainder, write it over the original denominator to obtain a proper fraction – then, if necessary, reduce the fraction to its lowest common
denominator.

1-32: The answer, 5 1/2, was obtained by adding the whole numbers (2 + 3 = 5) first. Then adding the numerators (31 + 19 = 50) and keeping
the denominator of 100. Then the fraction was reduced to its lowest common denominator.

1-37: Multiples of 2 are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 .... Multiples of 3 are 6, 9, 12, 15, 18.... Multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12 .... The least common multiple
of 2, 3 and 4 is 12.

1-46: 5 - 1 3/8 = 4 8/8 - 1 3/8 = 3 5/8.

1-50: 7 7/8 - 2 2/3 = 7 21/24 - 2 16/24 = 5 5/24.

1-52: 6 3/8 - 2 5/8 = 5 11/8 - 2 5/8 = 3 6/8 = 3 3/4.

1-58: 4 x 3 = 12and 12 + 1 = 13 Therefore the answer is 13/3.

1-60: 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 = 3/2 x 11/4 = 33/8 = 4 1/8.

2-14: 16.2. In doing this problem you obtained 16.17. This is not exactly correct. To see why, observe that 13.5 has only one place to the right of
the decimal point, whereas, 2.67 has two places. In general, you must use the following rule for precision.

In adding or subtracting decimals, the answer must have the same number of places to the right of the decimal point as the LE AST NUMBER of
places to the right of the decimal point in any of the given numbers.

Therefore 16.17 can have at the most one place to the right of the decimal point. You can see that 16.17 is between 16.1 and 6.2. You should
choose 16.2 in this case because 16.17 is closer to 16.2. The rule to follow for this rounding procedure is:

To round a number to a given place, look at the digit in the next place to the right. If this digit is less than 5, keep the digit in the given place and
delete all digits to the right of the given place. If the given digit is greater than or equal to 5, increase the digit in the given place by one and
delete all digits to the right of the given place.

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2-18 : 205.85 which must be rounded to 205.9.

2-19 : 4.7671 which must be rounded to 4.767

2-34: 14.980. In many situations you do not get zero as a remainder. In this case add as many zero digits to the right of the divid end (answer)
as needed to round your answer to the precision required by your job situation.

3-15: In this case, 3/8 was written as 0.38(because 3  8=0.38), which has one decimal place more than the required precision. In general, in
any intermediate division step, round your result to one decimal place more than the required precision.

3-24: 3.1. As you can see, in this problem parentheses were used to indicate not only order of operations but also multiplication. If a set of
parentheses is immediately preceded by a number or by another set of parentheses, then multiplication is understood.

3-27: 25.39. In this problem, to find the average of two or more measured quantities, you add the quantities together and divide by the nu mber
of given quantities.

4-38: The area of the rectangle: 28.2 square feet

The area of the trapezoid: 50.4 square feet
The area of the triangle: +34.4 square feet
The total area of the figure: 113.0 square feet

5-17: Yes, because n + 13 = 25

12 + 13 = 25
25 = 25, a true statement

6-49: 1/3. From problems 6-47, 6-48 and 6-49, you saw that the cement to sand ratio is 1:2, the sand to gravel ratio is 2:3 and the cement to
gravel is 1:3. We can write these three ideas in one expression as cement: sand: gravel =1:2:3 which means the ratio cement t o sand to gravel
equals the ratio of 1 to 2 to 3.

6-76: 8,056,857.60 pounds. NOTE – when pounds per cubic foot are multiplied by cubic feet the result is pounds.

6-80: .9. Note: Specific Gravity (S.G.) has no units associated with it because pounds per cubic foot in the numerator and pounds p er cubic feet
denominator offset each other.

8-24: 38°. Since angle 1 and angle 3 are equal and the measure of angle 1 is 38, the measure of angle 3 is 38

8-27: 123°. Since angle 1 and angle 2 are supplementary, angle 1 has a measure of 57°. Since angle 1 and angle 3 are vertical, angle 3 has a
measure of 57°. Since angle 2 and angle 4 are vertical angles, angle 4 has a measure of 123°.
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 8-28 : 115°. Since angle 1A and angle 1B are corresponding angles they are equal, therefore the measure of angle 1B is 115 °.

8-29 : 81°. Since angle 2 and angle 6 are corresponding angles, angle 6 has a measure of 81°. Since angles 6 and 7 are vertical angl es, angle 7
has a measure of 81.

8-30 : 72°. Since the measure of angle 3 equals the measure of angle 7, the measure of angle 7 equals 72° (corresponding angles are equal).
Also since the measure of angle 7 equals the angle 6, the measure of angle 6 equals 72°.

8-31 : 141°. The measure of angle 5 equals the measure of angle 1, and the measure of angle 1 equals the measure of an gle 4. Therefore, the
measure of angle 4 equals 141°.

8-32 : 47°. The measure of angle 5 is 133°. Since angle 5 and 6 are supplementary the measure of angle 6 is 47°.

9-18: Since 100 = 10 x 10, c = 10. The number 10 is called the square root of 100.

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