A person in a balloon which is 2,000 feet above the airport finds that the angle of depression to a ship out at sea is 21°. Find the horizontal distance between the balloon and the ship.
Accepted Solution
A:
The horizontal distance is given by the formula: tan θ=opposite/adjacent where: θ=21 opposite=2000 ft adjacent=a thus calculating for a we get: tan 21=2000/a thus a=2000/tan 21 a=5210.18 ft