Question

A boat is heading towards a lighthouse, whose beacon-light is 139 feet above the water. The boat’s crew measures the angle of elevation to the beacon, 5 ∘ . What is the ship’s horizontal distance from the lighthouse (and the shore)? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot if necessary.

Answer 1

The distance of the ship from the lighthouse can be determined using

Explanation:

...........

Answer 2

1588.78 ft

Explanation:

In a Right triangle

tangent (angle) = opposite side / adjacent side

= height / distance ( for this problem)

tangent 5° = 139/distance

distance = 139 / tangent 5° = 1588.78 ft