Answer:
273 meters
Step-by-step explanation:
See image attached for the diagram I used to represent this scenario.
The distance between the ships, at angles 30 and 45, is 200 meters. The distance between the left ship and the lighthouse is x meters.
We can use trigonometric ratios to solve this problem. We can use the tangent ratio to create an equation with the two angles.
Let's take these two equations and solve for x in both of them.
<h2>
</h2>
tan(45) = 1, so we can rewrite this equation.
Multiply x to both sides of the equation.
<h2>
</h2>
Multiply x + 200 to both sides and divide h by tan(30).
Subtract 200 from both sides of the equation.
Simplify h/tan(30).
<h2>
</h2>
Take Equation I and Equation II and set them equal to each other.
Subtract √3 h from both sides of the equation.
Factor h from the left side of the equation.
Divide both sides of the equation by 1 - √3.
Rationalize the denominator by multiplying the numerator and denominator by the conjugate.
Simplify this equation.
The height of the lighthouse is about 273 meters.