Question

An observer (O) spots a bird flying at a 55° angle from a line drawn horizontal to its nest. If the distance from the observer (O) to the bird (B) is 15,000 ft., how far is the bird (B) from its nest (N)?

Answer 1

8604 ft.

Explanation:

I took the test and am too lazy to show work.

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Answer 2

Build a right triangle where the horizontal distance from the observer to the nest is the adjacent leg, the angle is 55° and the distance from the observer to the bird (inside the nest) is the hypotenuse of the triangle, which is sthe unknown variable, x.

Then, cos(55°) = adjacent leg/hypotenuse = 15,000 ft / x⇒ x = 15,000 ft / cos(55°) = 26,152 ft