Math Problem Statement
A woman standing on a hill sees a flagpole that she knows is 35 ft tall. The angle of depression to the bottom of the pole is 14°, and the angle of elevation to the top of the pole is 18°. Find her distance x from the pole. (Round your answer to one decimal place.)
Solution
To find the distance from the woman to the flagpole, we can use trigonometric relationships. The problem involves a right triangle with different angles of elevation and depression, which allows us to break the height of the flagpole into two segments and solve for .
Step 1: Understand the Triangle Setup
The flagpole height is 35 feet. The height can be broken into two parts:
- The height corresponding to the angle of elevation
- The height corresponding to the angle of depression
Step 2: Calculate the Components
Let's denote the following:
- : Height from the bottom of the pole to the observer's eye level (associated with angle of depression).
- : Height from the top of the pole to the observer's eye level (associated with angle of elevation).
- : Distance from the observer to the pole.
Given:
- ft
Step 3: Trigonometric Relationships
From the geometry of the situation:
Step 4: Solve for
Now, we solve for :
Let's calculate the value of .
Calculation
I will calculate the exact value of .The distance from the woman to the flagpole is approximately 60.9 feet.
Would you like more details on how this was calculated or have any other questions?
Here are some related questions you might find interesting:
- How would the result change if the height of the flagpole was different?
- What would happen if the angles of elevation and depression were equal?
- How could we calculate the horizontal distance to the pole if the woman was not on a hill?
- What trigonometric identities are used to solve such problems?
- How does the distance change with different angles of elevation or depression?
Tip: When solving problems involving angles of elevation and depression, always break down the problem into smaller right triangles to simplify your calculations.
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Trigonometry
Geometry
Formulas
Trigonometric ratios
Angle of elevation
Angle of depression
Theorems
-
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 10-12
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