Question

Michael is throwing watermelons off the top of a building onto a trampoline. If the building is 52 feet tall and the angle of depression from Michael to the trampoline is 71°, what is the distance from the trampoline to the base of the building? Round to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

17.9 feet

Explanation:

We solve the above question using the Trigonometric function of Tangent.

tan θ = (Opposite Side/Adjacent Side)

Where

θ = Angle of depression = 71°

Opposite Side = Height of the building = 52 feet tall

Adjacent Side = The distance from the trampoline to the base of the building = x

tan 71° = 52/x

Cross Multiply

tan 71° × x = 52

x = 52/tan 71°

x = 17.905035891 feet

Approximately = 17.9 feet

Therefore, the distance from the trampoline to the base of the building to the nearest tenth = 17.9 feet