Question

A man is in a lighthouse tower that is 65 ft. He spots a ship at sea at an angle of depression of 20°. How far is the ship from the base of the lighthouse to the nearest foot?

Answer 1

24 feet

Explanation:

distance away is x

tan(20)=x/65

65*tan(20)=x

x=23.65806... feet

round to the nearest foot

x=24

Answer 2

65*tan(20)=23.658 or 24