Question

From the top of a lighthouse 55 m above the water the angle of depression of a ship is 3.8°. Find the distance from the base of the lighthouse to the ship.

Answer 1

Given:

To find length of BC,

`\begin{gathered} \tan (B)=(AC)/(BC) \\ \tan (3.8^(\circ))=(55)/(BC) \\ BC=(55)/(\tan (3.8^(\circ))) \\ BC=828.06 \end{gathered}`

Answer: the distance from the base of the lighthouse to the ship is 828.06 m