Question

Roger the park ranger was standing in a look out tower that was 200 ft tall. Looks down, sees a fire. Angle of depression is 7 degrees. How far is fire from base of tower?

Answer 1

Answer:

approx. 24.6 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

x=the distance of the fire from the base of the tower

200ft=the height of the tower

7 degrees=the angle of depression

Using these values you can draw a diagram that highlights that you need to use trig. to work out the answer.

Using Tan:

Tan 7=x/200 ft

multiply both sides by 200 ft

200*tan 7=24.55691218

approx. 24.6 ft