Question

As a part of their weather unit, Anoki’s science class took a hot air balloon ride. As they passed over a fenced field, the angle of depression of the closer side of the fence was 32°, and the angle of depression of the farther side of the fence was 27°. If the height of the balloon was 800 feet, estimate the width of the field. Round your answer to the nearest foot.

Answer 1

Hello there!

I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy!

P.S. I did my best drawing the problem :)

`Tan 32 = (800)/(x)`

`x = (800)/(tan32)`

`Tan 27 = (800)/(y)`

`y=(800)/(tan27)`

Answer: ~289.8 ft

I hope this makes sense! See picture for additional info.

As always, it is my pleasure to help students like you!