Question

A kite is flying 70 feet above the ground and is attached to a string tied to a stake on the ground. The angle of elevation formed by the string and the ground is 40°. Find the length of the string to the nearest foot.
A) 45 feet
B) 83 feet
C) 91 feet
D) 109 feet

Answer 1

When you draw the diagram, you can form a right triangle. 

The hypotenuse is the string where the kite is attached. The long leg is the distance of the stake to where the kite is directly above the ground. The short length is the distance of the kite from the ground.

We shall use sine to find the length of the string to the nearest foot.

sinΘ = opposite / hypotenuse 

sin(40°) = 70ft / x
x = 70ft / sin(40°)
x = 108.90 ft  

D.) 109 ft.