Question

An observer (O) spots a bird flying at a 42° angle from a line drawn horizontal to its nest. If the distance from the observer (O) to the bird (B) is 17,000 ft., how far is the bird (B) from its nest (N)?

Answer 1

To find how far the bird is from its nest when observed at a 42° angle and 17,000 ft. distance from an observer, calculate the adjacent side using the cosine of the angle times the hypotenuse.

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating the Bird's Distance from the Nest

An observer (O) spots a bird flying at a 42° angle from a line drawn horizontal to its nest. If the distance from the observer (O) to the bird (B) is 17,000 ft., how far is the bird (B) from its nest (N)? To solve this, we will use trigonometric functions. Given the angle and the hypotenuse, we can find the adjacent side (the distance between the bird and the nest), which represents the horizontal component of the bird's position.

The adjacent side can be calculated by using the cosine function:

distance to nest (N) = cos(42°) × 17,000 ft

Calculating this gives us the bird's distance from the nest.

Answer 2

Cos(42)=x/17000
X=17000*cos(42)
X=17000*0.743
X==12,631