Question

A helicopter pilot sees an island at a 70° angle of depression from the horizontal. In the

Answer 1

Answer:

1231 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Draw a right triangle. Label the height of the triangle. as 800 since the height of the triangle represents the height of the helicopter above the coast of the island. Label the base length of the triangle as d to represent the distance between the coast of the island and the coast of the mainland, P. The angle of depression from the helicopter to point P is 33° so draw a horizontal dotted line at the location of the helicopter and label the angle made by the horizontal line and the hypotenuse of the right triangle as 33°. The angle of elevation from P to the helicopter and the angle of depression from the helicopter to point P are congruent alternate interior angles so label the angle at P as 33°.  

The side labeled 800 is opposite of P and the side labeled d is adjacent to P so you can use tangent to write an equation. Solve this equation for d and round to the nearest whole number.