Question

They got to an altitude of 500 feet. The balloon is tethered to the ground by a cable and the angle between the ground and the cable is 53º. Find the length of the cable

Answer 1

about 626.1 ft

Explanation:

The geometry of the problem can be modeled by a right triangle. The given angle is opposite the given side, and we are asked to find the hypotenuse. The relevant trig relation is ...

Sin = Opposite/Hypotenuse

__

Solving for the hypotenuse, we get ...

Hypotenuse = Opposite/Sin

cable length = (balloon height)/sin(53°) = (500 ft)/0.79864

cable length ≈ 626.1 ft