A building casts a shadow 23 feet long when the angle of elevation of the sun is 52 degrees. Find the height of the building correct to the nearest integer.
I think I might know the answer. Anyway, Please explain how to do this. THANKS A LOT FOR ANY HELP!
2007-08-24 17:42:55 · 3 answers · asked by acetone33432 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
I hate to say this...but I read the following 3 answers, and I still don't get it.
My friend told me the answer is 18?? but he can't explain it!
2007-08-24 17:53:57 · update #1
use the tan rule tan (angle) = opposite / adjacent
thus tan 52 = height / 23
height = 23 * tan 52
2007-08-24 17:49:52 · answer #1 · answered by sin2acos2a1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You draw a right triangle. I would put the right angle in the lower left corner. The horizontal side off to the right is the shadow and it is 23 feet long. The perpendicular side, the vertical line, is the building and it's height is B which is what you want to find. At the end of the shadow is the angle 52 degrees. So:
tan(52) = B/23
23 Tan(52) = B
B = 29.44 feet = 29 feet
2007-08-24 17:51:28 · answer #2 · answered by Captain Mephisto 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tan 52= x/23...sorry don't have a calculator on me...
2007-08-24 17:51:40 · answer #3 · answered by Jay Mak 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋