Download Solving Right Triangles – Applications of Trigonometry

Solving Right Triangles – Applications of Trigonometry
1. Forestry You stand 40 feet from the base of a tree. You measure the angle of elevation from a point on
the ground to the top of the tree to be 66°. Find the height h of the tree to the nearest foot.
2. Waterslide The angle of elevation from the base to the top of a waterslide is about 17°. The horizontal
distance from the top of the waterslide to the bottom of the waterslide is about 150 feet. Find the height h
of the waterslide to the nearest foot.
3. Staircase A staircase has an angle of elevation of 28° and covers a total distance of 17 feet. To the nearest
foot, what is the vertical height h covered by the staircase?
4. Highway You are traveling along a stretch of highway that has a slight grade with an angle of inclination
of 5°. After traveling for 4 miles, what is the vertical v and horizontal h change in feet? (1 mi = 5280 ft)
Round your answer to the nearest foot.
5. Ladder You lean a 16 foot ladder against the wall. If the ladder makes an angle of 70° with the ground,
how far away from the wall is the base of the ladder? Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot.
6.
Airplane Landing You are preparing to land an airplane. You are on a straight line approach path that
forms a 3° vertical angle with the runway. What is the distance d along this approach path to your touchdown
point when you are 500 feet above the ground? Round your answer to the nearest foot.
7.
Submarine A sonar operator on a ship detects a submarine at a distance of 500 meters and an angle of
depression of 40°. How deep is the submarine?