Question

Find the value of x. Round the length to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

x ≈ 777.9 m

Explanation:

The angle at the vertex of the triangle is 90° - 40° = 50°

Using the cosine function in the right triangle

cos50° =
`(adjacent)/(hypotenuse)` =
`(500)/(x)` ( multiply both sides by x )

x × cos50° = 500 ( divide both sides by cos50° )

x =
`(500)/(cos50)` ≈ 777.9 m ( to the nearest tenth )