Answer: the horizontal distance travelled is 2352 feet
Step-by-step explanation:
The altitude of the airplane, the horizontal distance that it travelled and the angle, θ formed with the ground combine to form a right angle triangle.
The horizontal distance that it travelled represents the adjacent side of the right angle triangle.
The altitude that it reached represents the opposite side of the right angle triangle. To determine the horizontal distance that it has travelled, h, we would apply the tangent trigonometric ratio which is expressed
Tan θ = opposite side/adjacent side
Therefore,
Tan 12 = 500/h
h = 500/Tan 12 = 500/0.2126
h = 2352 feet
