Question

A boat is approaching a cliff known to be 40m tall. The angle of elevation is 30°. How far away is the boat from the cliff?

Answer 1

x = 40 *
`√(3)` meters

Explanation:

You have a 30-60-90 right triangle in this situation.

the height of this triangle is 40 meters

the opposite angle is 30 degrees.

use the tangent.

let x = distance between boat and cliff

tan 30 = 40/x

1/root (3) = 40/x

x = 40 *
`√(3)` meters