Answer:
The statement that best describes how to determine if the plane clears the tower is;
Use the Pythagoras Theorem where the distance to the tower is a leg of the right triangle and the distance in the air is the hypotenuse. Find the other leg. Convert to feet to compare to the tower height
Step-by-step explanation:
The given parameters are;
The length the plane will travel before lifting = 1300 yards
The distance further the plane will travel after lifting off the ground = 705 yards
The horizontal distance from the point of lifting off the ground to control tower = 700 yards
The distance of the path of the plane after lifting off the ground, the horizontal distance from the point of lifting off the ground to control tower and the height of the control tower form a right triangle with sides given as follows;
The distance of the path of the plane after lifting off the ground = The hypotenuse side of the triangle
The horizontal distance from the point of lifting off the ground to control tower and the height of the control tower = The two legs of the right triangle
Let h, represent the height of the control tower, let x represent the horizontal distance from the point of lifting off the ground to control tower and let R represent the distance of the path of the plane after lifting off the ground, we have;
h = √(R² - x²)
We have;
R = 705 yards
x = 700 yards
∴ h = √(R² - x²) = h = √(705² - 700²) = 5·√281
The height of the control tower, h = 5·√281 yards
1 yard = 3 feet
∴ 5·√281 yards = 3 × 5·√281 feet ≈ 251.446 feet
Therefore, given that the height of the control tower = 250 feet, the plane at the height of approximately 251.446 feet clears the tower.
