Question

The angle of elevation from a sailboat in a lake to the top of a vertical cliff is 60∘60∘. The sailboat is 210 feet from the foot of the cliff. How high is the cliff?

Answer 1

363.741 feet

Explanation:

Let the height of the cliff be represented by x. Applying the appropriate trigonometric function, we have;

Tan θ =
`(opposite side)/(adjacent side)`

Tan
`60^(0)` =
`(x)/(210)`

cross multiply to have;

x = 210 × Tan
`60^(0)`

= 210 × 1.7321

= 363.741

The cliff is 363.741 feet high.