Question

4. A dog is standing 5 feet from the base of a tree, looking up at a cat that has climbed 16 feet up the

tree. What is the angle of elevation from the the point the dog is standing on the groud to the cat?
Gina Wilson (All Things Algebra, 2014

Answer 1

72 degrees

Explanation:

In a right angled triangle, the angle of elevation is the dog on the ground looking up to the tree. Your base of the triangle is 5ft (adjacent side) and your opposite side is 16ft. Because you have your opposite and adjacent sides, you use the "Tan function"

Tan 16/5=3.2

To get the angle, use the inverse:

Tan^-1 (3.2)= 72 degrees

Hope this helps