Solve the problem.
-A person is watching a car from the top of a building. The car is traveling on a straight road directly toward the building. When first noticed, the angle of depression to the car is 26° 53´. When the car
Stops, the angle of depression is 42° 31´. The building is 240 feet tall. How far did the car travel from
When it was first noticed until it stopped? Round to the nearest foot.
A)212 ft
B)412 ft
C)238 ft
D)191 ft

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A.Explanation:The car traveled 212 feet from when it was first noticed until it stopped. This can be found by using the tangent function. The tangent of the angle of depression is equal to the opposite side (the height of the building) divided by the adjacent side (the distance from the car to the building). When the car is first noticed, the tangent of the angle of depression is 240/x, where x is the distance from the car to the building. When the car stops, the tangent of the angle of depression is 240/y, where y is the distance from the car to the building. The difference between these two distances is the distance the car traveled, which is 212 feet.

Solve the Problem. -A Person Is Watching a Car from the Top of the Top