Question

looks out from the crown of the Statue of Liberty, approximately 250 ft above ground. The tourist sees a ship coming into the harbor and measures the angle of depression as 18°. Find the distance from the base of the statue to the ship to the nearest foot.

Answer 1

Answer:

The distance from the base of the statue to the ship is 771.60 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Refer the attached figure

Height of statue AB= 250 feet

The tourist sees a ship coming into the harbor and measures the angle of depression as 18°.

So, ∠ACB = 18°

We are supposed to find the distance from the base of the statue to the ship i.e. BC

In ΔABC

$Tan \theta = \frac{Perpendicular}{Base}$

$Tan 18^{\circ}=\frac{AB}{BC}$

$Tan 18^{\circ}=\frac{250}{BC}$

$BC=\frac{250}{Tan 18^{\circ}}$

$BC=\frac{250}{0.324}$

BC=771.60 ft

Hence the distance from the base of the statue to the ship is 771.60 ft