Question

A plane ascends at a 40° angle. When it reaches an altitude (height) of 100 feet, how much ground (horizontal) distance has it covered? Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

119.2 ft.

Explanation:

In order to find the ground distance covered, we must find what the values given are for. 40° is the angle that is θ. 100 ft is the altitude, which is the height. We must find the ground distance covered. So we can find using the tan formula:

tanθ = Opposite side ÷ adjacent side

The opposite side is the height and the adjacent side is the ground distance, which we are going to assume as x. So when all values are substituted:

tan 40° = 100 ÷ x

So,

x = 100 ÷ tan 40°

x = 119.2 ft