Question

Javier is standing at a distance from a flagpole. He sights the bottom of the flagpole at a 4°

angle of depression and the top of the flagpole at a 25°
angle of elevation. If Javier is 6 feet tall, what is the total height, to the nearest foot, of the flagpole?

Answer 1

Answer: To find the height of the flagpole, we can use the fact that the angles of depression and elevation are complementary angles, meaning that they add up to 90°.

Let's call the height of the flagpole "h". Then, we have:

h - 6 = h * tan(4°) (the height difference between Javier and the bottom of the flagpole)

and

h = 6 + h * tan(25°) (the height of the top of the flagpole as seen by Javier).

By substituting the first equation into the second, we can find h:

h = 6 + h * tan(25°)

h = 6 + h / tan(65°)

h * tan(65°) = 6 + h

h * tan(65°) - h = 6

h = 6 / (tan(65°) - 1)

Using a calculator, we find that h = approximately 43.3 feet. Rounding to the nearest foot, the height of the flagpole is 43 feet.

Explanation: