Question

A 5-foot tall person standing with her back to the sun casts an 12-foot long shadow. To the nearest degree, what angle does the sun make with the ground? Enter your answer in the box. °

Answer 1

Answer:

• 23°

Explanation:

1) Data:

a) height of the person = opposite-leg to the angle the sun makes with the ground = 5 ft

b) length of the shadow = adjacent-leg to the angle the sun makes with the ground = 12 ft

c) angle, α = ?

2) Solution

• tanα = opposite-leg / adjacent-leg

• tanα = 5 ft / 12 5t = 5/12

• α = arctan(5/12) = 22.6°

• 22.6° rounded to the nearest degree is 23° ← answer