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From a point on the ground 12 feet from the base of a flagpole, the angle of elevation of the top of the pole measures 55. How tall is the flagpole?

1 Answer

10 votes

Answer:

the flagpole is 16 feet tall.

Explanation:

A right angle triangle is formed.

The distance of the point on the ground from the base of the flagpole represents the adjacent side of the right angle. The height of the flagpole from the ground represents the opposite side of the right angle.

To determine the height, h of the flagpole, we would apply the Tangent trigonometric ratio.

Tan θ, = opposite side/adjacent side. Therefore,

Tan 53 = h/12

h = 12Tan53 = 12 × 1.327

h = 16 feet to the nearest whole number

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