Question

From the parking lot at red hill shopping center the angle of the top of the hill is about 25 from the base of the hill the angle of elevation to the top of the hill is 55

Answer 1

512 ft.

Explanation:

From the parking lot at the Red Hill Shopping Center, the angle of sight (elevation) to the top of the hill is about 25. From the base of the hill you can also sight the top but at an angle of 55. The horizontal distance between sightings is 740 feet. How high is Red Hill? Show your subproblems.

Solution:

Let x be the distance from the base of the hill to the middle of the hill perpendicular to the height, let h be the height of the hill. Therefore:

tan 25 = h/(x + 740)

h = (x + 740)tan 25 (1)

tan 55 = h / x

h = x tan 55 (2)

Hence:

(x + 740)tan 25 = xtan 55

0.4663(x + 740) = 1.428x

0.4663x + 345.07 = 1.428x

0.9617x = 345.07

x = 359 ft.

h = xtan55 = 359 tan(55) = 512 ft.