Question

Question 32 ptsA park ranger on top of a 65-foot tower spots a fire at anangle of depression of 39 degrees. Approximately how far (onthe ground) is the fire from the park ranger? To help you withthis problem, sketch and label a diagram.Round to the nearest tenth.x=

Answer 1

Let y = ground distance of the fire from the park ranger;

$\begin{gathered} \tan 39=\frac{65}{y} \\ y=\frac{65}{\tan 39}=\frac{65}{0.8098} \\ y=80.3 \end{gathered}$

The ground distance of the fire from the park ranger is 80.3ft