Question

If a tree 28 meters tall casts a shadow 32 meters long, what is the angle of elevation of the sun to the nearest degree?

Answer 1

Since we need an angle measure we have to use an inverse trig ratio, sin^-1, cos^-1, or tan^-1.
Setting up the right triangle we have the opposite and adjacent so we use tan.
tan angle = 28/32
tan^-1 (28/32) = 41 degrees