Question

Help!

An airplane takes off at an angle of 15 degrees with the ground. To the nearest 10 feet, how far has the airplane flown when it has covered a horizontal distance of 1800 feet?

Answer 1

1738.67 feet

Explanation:

Imagine a right angles triangle, with the base length of 1800ft and the angle between the base and the hypotenuse to be 15 degrees.

Now, we have to calculate the hypotenuse length, using trigonometric ratios

The ratio that links adjacent side and hypotenuse is cos

So, write an equation:

cos(15) = Adjacent/Hypotenuse = 1800/H

Rearrange to solve.

H = cos(15) x 1800 = 1738.67

This is the distance flown by the aeroplane .

Hope this helps