Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
This is a right triangle trig problem. Picture a right triangle. The height of the triangle is the height of the lighthouse, your distance from the base of the lighthouse is what we are solving for, and the reference angle is 2 degrees, which is the angle of inclination from where you stand to the top of this lighthouse. We have the reference angle, the side opposite the reference angle, and we are looking for the side adjacent to the reference angle. This is the tangent ratio: the side opposite the reference angle over the side adjacent to the reference angle. We know the measure of the reference angle and we know the value of the side opposite the reference angle. Filling in:
and
so
x = 5727.25 feet, the third choice down