Chapter SH, Problem 12.3EP

To determine

To find: The distance between the Tina and base of the flagpole.

Answer to Problem 12.3EP

The distance between the Tina and base of the flagpole is $186.60\text{ft}$ .

Explanation of Solution

Given:

The angle of elevation from the ground to top of the flagpole is $15°$ .

The height of the flagpole is $50$ feet.

Calculation:

Let $x$ be the distance between the Tina and base of the flagpole.

Consider the following figure.

  

Use the tan function to find $x$ .

  $\begin{array}{c}\tan \theta =\frac{\text{opp}}{\text{adj}}\\ \tan 15°=\frac{50}{x}\\ x=\frac{50}{\tan 15°}\\ \approx 186.60\text{ft}\end{array}$

Therefore, the distance between the Tina and base of the flagpole is $186.60\text{ft}$ .