Question

Brandon sights a helicopter above a building that is 200 feet away at an angle of elevation of 30 degrees. To the nearest foot, How high above the ground the is the helicopter

Answer 1

The problem says that Brandon sights a helicopter above a building that is 200 feet away at an angle of elevation of 30 degrees. So, you can calculate the height asked, by following this procedure:

 Tan(α)=Opposite leg/Adjacent leg

 α=30°
 Opposite leg=x
 Adjacent leg=200 feet

 When you substitute these values into the formula above (Tan(α)=Opposite leg/Adjacent leg), you have:

 Tan(α)=Opposite leg/Adjacent leg
 Tan(30°)=x/200
 
 You must clear "x":

 x=200xTan(30°)

 Therefore, the value of "x" is:

 x=115 feet

 How high above the ground the is the helicopter?

 The answer is: 115 feet