Chapter 8.5, Problem 15PPS

To determine

To calculate:

The distance of the person from tour bus

Answer to Problem 15PPS

The distance of the person from tour bus is $240.2ft$

Explanation of Solution

Given information:

Height of arc: $162ft$

Angle: $34°$

Calculation:

Let’s draw a figure to represent the given information:

  

If is a $△ABC$ right triangle with acute $\angle A$ , then the tangent of $\angle A$ is the ratio of the length of

leg opposite $\angle A$ to the length of the leg adjacent $\angle A$ .

As per the definition of tangent:

  $\begin{array}{l}\tan 34°=\frac{162}{x}\\ x=\frac{162}{\tan 34°}\\ x\approx 240.2ft\end{array}$