Question

22. An airplane pilot approaches an airport with an angle of depression of 11°. His current elevation is 20,000ft.

Find the ground distance from the airplane to the airport to the nearest 100ft.
20,000 ft
11⁰
X
22.

Please help and show work

Answer 1

Answer: x=102900 feet.

Explanation:

The horizontal line extending from the airplane is parallel to the ground. Therefore, the angle of elevation (the angle opposite to the side measuring 20,000 ft) is also 11°. In addition, the angle opposite to x is 90-11=79°. Then, you can use the law of sines to solve for x.

`(sin11)/(20000) =(sin79)/(x)`

Solve for x. x=102891. Rounded, 102900.

Or, you can use the tan function.
`tan11=(20000)/(x)`

Solve for x. Rounded, x=102900.