Question

Jeremy finds a set of plans to build a model airplane. Most, but not all, of the lengths given in the plans are direct measurements. According to the plans, each horizontal stabilizer of the tail wing is made from a right triangle. The length of the leg of the triangle that touched the plane is AB=8 inches, and cosA =8/17. To find the number of inches each horizontal stabilizer extends from the plane, find BC

Answer 1

15

Explanation:

Given ⇒
`\left[\begin{array}{ccc}CosA=(AB)/(AC)=(8)/(17) \end{array}\right]`

`\left[\begin{array}{ccc}AC&=&17\\AB&=&\sqrt{AC^(2)-AB^(2)}\\BC&=&\sqrt{17^(2)-{8^(2)\\BC&=&√(225)\\BC&=&15\end{array}\right]`

Answer 2

The answer is 15.

If given the cos A = 8/17
8 is the side containing angle A, 17 is the hypotenuse. Using either Pythagoras or knowing Right Triangle triples you get 15