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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from gabby, a student: Standing on a ledge, there is a boat 25 degrees below you. The boat has a 1,000ft. tower. If the angle of elevation to the top of the tower is 15 degrees, how high is the ledge? |
Gabby,
Draw it out and you will see that you have two right triangles. Call the horizontal distance from you to the tower x and the height of the ledge y.
Can you picture it from this diagram?
tan(15) = (1000-y) / x and tan(25) = y / x.
Solve this pair of equations for y and you have your answer. Write back if you need more help.
Cheers,
Stephen La Rocque.
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