Question

Assuming that a 330-foot tall giant redwood grows vertically, if I walk a certain distance from the
tree and measure the angle of elevation to the top of the tree to be 69°, how far from the base of the
tree am I?
Round your answer to four decimal places.
I am about Number
feet away from the base of the tree.

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

  126.6751 feet

Step-by-step explanation:

The tangent relation can be helpful.

  Tan = Opposite/Adjacent

  tan(69°) = (330 ft)/(distance to base)

  distance to base = (330 ft)/tan(69°) ≈ 126.6751 ft

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Comment on precision

It would make more sense to round to 4 significant figures. The value of a unit in the fourth decimal place is 0.0001 feet = 0.0012 inches, somewhat less than the thickness of a human hair. We know of no technology that will make a measurement of that distance to that accuracy.