Question

A blimp is 1300 meters high in the air and measures the angles of depression to two stadiums to the west of the blimp. If those measurements are 71.9° and 27.1°, how far apart are the two stadiums to the nearest meter?

Answer 1

Explanation:

tanα=height/distance

tanα=h/d

d=h/tanα so

d1=h/tanα and d2=h/tanß

Then the distance between them is:

d=h/tanß-h/tanα, we know that h=1300, α=(90°-71.9°=18,1°), and ß=90°-27.1°=62.9°) so

d=(3100*tan62.9)-(3100*tan18.1) meters

d≈2116 (to nearest meter)