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The height of an airplane is 6 miles above the ground. The distance along the ground from the airplane to the airport is 8 miles. What is the angle of depression from the airplane to the airport?

A) 30 degrees
B) 45 degrees
C) 60 degrees
D) 75 degrees

User YYC
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The angle of depression from the airplane to the airport is approximately 36.87 degrees.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the angle of depression from the airplane to the airport, we can use the tangent function. The tangent of an angle is equal to the ratio of the opposite side length to the adjacent side length. In this case, the opposite side length is the height of the airplane, which is 6 miles, and the adjacent side length is the distance along the ground, which is 8 miles. So, the tangent of the angle of depression is 6/8. Taking the inverse tangent of this ratio will give us the angle of depression. Using a calculator, we find that the angle of depression is approximately 36.87 degrees.

User Munanadi
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