Question

I’m having a little issue with my Trigonometry homework. The model of this problem does not have a number for the hypotenuse. Thus, I concluded that the formula needed to answer this isn’t either the adjacent over hypotenuse or opposite over hypotenuse. However, when I try the formula for tangent, the answer (rounded to the nearest tenth) is 64.9. This isn’t an answer given in this worksheet. The possible answers on said sheet are 23.4 or 25.1. If someone could maybe help me out with this, that would be very appreciated!

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

x ≈ 23.4

Explanation:

You are correct that the given information indicates the tangent function is appropriate.

Tan = Opposite/Adjacent

tan(59°) = 39/x

Multiply this equation by x/tan(59°) and you get ...

x = 39/tan(59°)

x ≈ 39/1.6643 ≈ 23.43

The appropriate answer choice is ...

x = 23.4