John's method to determine the width of the stream uses the knowledge
that the tangent of 60° is approximately 1.7.
The proper sequence John would use to find the width of the stream are;
- Step 1; <u>John</u><u> drives a stake opposite the tree to establish a line between two points</u>
- Step 2; <u>John uses a </u><u>compass </u><u>to walk away from the stakes at a right angle</u>
- Step 3; <u>On the path John walks until he finds a </u><u>line </u><u>of sight to the tree that equals 60 degrees</u>
- Step 4; <u>John drives a second </u><u>stake </u><u>in the ground</u>
- Step 5; <u>John measures the the </u><u>distance </u><u>between the two stakes</u>
- Step 6; <u>John </u><u>multiplies </u><u>the distance between the two stakes by</u><u> 1.7</u><u> to find the distance</u>.
Reasons:
The steps that can be used to measure the width of the stream are;
Step 1: Drive a stake opposite the tree on the other side of the stream.
Step 2: With the aid of a compass, walk at right angles to the line formed by the stake and the tree.
Step 3; Keep walking along the previous path till a point is reached where the angle formed between the line of site to the tree and the walk path is 60°.
Step 4; At the point where the line of sight to the tree is 60°, a second stake is driven in the ground.
Step 5; Measure the distance between the stakes that are placed in the ground.
Step 6; Given that by trigonometry, the ratio of the width of the stream to the distance between the two stakes is tan(60°) ≈ 1.7, multiply the distance between the two stakes by 1.7 to find the width of the stream.
<em>The possible question options are;</em>
<em>John measures the the distance between the two stakes</em>
<em>John uses a compass to walk away from the stakes at a right angle</em>
<em>John multiplies the distance between the two stakes by 1.7 to find the distance</em>
<em>John drives a second stake in the ground</em>
<em>On the path John walks until he finds a line of sight to the tree that equals 60 degrees </em>
<em>John drives a stake opposite the tree to establish a line between two points.</em>
Learn more about trigonometric ratios here:
