Question

Jacob is standing on the observation deck of the Sears Tower in Chicago. The height of the

observation deck is 1450 feet. He sees his car being towed, which is parked on the street 5,128

feet from the base of the tower. Find the angle of depression. Round to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

15.8°

Explanation:

The relationship between angle trig functions and sides of a right triangle is summarized in the mnemonic SOH CAH TOA. Here, we're given the side opposite the angle (the height of the deck), and the side adjacent to the angle (the horizontal distance). So, the applicable relation is ...

Tan = Opposite/Adjacent

tan(angle) = 1450/5128

Then the angle is found using the inverse tangent function:

angle = arctan(1450/5128) ≈ 15.8°

The angle of depression is about 15.8°.