Question

Travis spies an owl in a tall tree. He estimates the height of the tree to be 85 feet and the angle of elevation to the bird from where he stands to be 68°. The leaves on the tree make it difficult for Travis to watch the bird, so he takes several steps away from the tree to get a better view. He now estimates his angle of elevation to be 41°.

How many feet did Travis step back to gain a better view of the bird? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth of a foot.

Please help!!

Answer 1

63.44 feet

Explanation:

tan(68 degrees)= 85/y

y tan (68 degrees)=85

y=85/tan(68 degrees) ( cross multiply)

y = 34.34 feet

tan (41 degrees)=85/x+y

(x+y)tan(41 degrees)=85

x+y=85/tan 41 degrees

x=85/tan(41 degrees) - y

x= 85/tan (41 degrees)-(34.34) (cross multiply)

Therefore, Travis stepped back 63.44 feet to gain a better view!