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From the top of a 240-ft lighthouse, the angle of depression to a ship in the ocean is 25°. How far is the ship from the base of the lighthouse?

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Final answer:

To find the distance of the ship from the base of the lighthouse, we can use trigonometry. Using the tangent function, we can find that the distance is approximately 106.29 ft.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the distance of the ship from the base of the lighthouse, we can use trigonometry. Let's assume that the distance between the ship and the base of the lighthouse is x. We know that the lighthouse is 240 ft tall and the angle of depression from the top of the lighthouse to the ship is 25°.

Tan(angle of depression) = Opposite/Adjacent = x/240

Using the tangent function, we can find that x = 240 * tan(25°).

Using a calculator, we find that x is approximately 106.29 ft. Therefore, the ship is approximately 106.29 ft from the base of the lighthouse.

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