Final answer:
OPTION A.The horizontal distance from the cliff to the sailboarder is 267.5 meters, which is obtained by subtracting the sailboarder's height above the water from the total cliff height.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking for the horizontal distance from the top of a cliff to a sailboarder positioned 32.5 meters above the water, given that the cliff height is 300 meters. Since the sailboarder is seen above the water, we have to subtract the sailboarder's height from the total cliff height to find the vertical distance between the top of the cliff and the sailboarder.
Using the provided information, the vertical distance from the top of the cliff to the sailboarder is the height of the cliff (300 meters) minus the height of the sailboarder above the water (32.5 meters), resulting in 267.5 meters. This value represents the required horizontal distance since the sailboarder is directly above the water and the cliff is perpendicular to the water surface. Therefore, the horizontal distance is 267.5 meters, which corresponds to option a) 267.5 meters.