Question

the angle of depression from an airplane at an altitude of 8000 feet to the airport is 7 degrees. Find the direct distance from the airplane to the airport and find the horizontal distance between the airplane and the airport.

Answer 1

direct distance = 65,644.07 feet

horizontal distance = 65,154.77 feet

Explanation:

The angle of depression is the angle that the airplane does with the horizontal plane.

So, if this angle is 7° and the airplane is at an altitude if 8000 feet, we can find the direct distance and the horizontal distance using the tangent and the sine relations of the angle.

In the tangent of the angle, the opposite side will be the height of the airplane, and the adjacent side will be the horizontal distance (hd), so:

tangent(7) = 8000 / hd

hd = 8000 / tangent(7) = 65,154.77 feet

In the sine of the angle, the opposite side will be the height of the airplane, and the hypotenusa will be the direct distance (d), so:

sine(7) = 8000 / d

d = 8000 / sine(7) = 65,644.07 feet