Use similar triangles to help solve the problem. An airplane ascends 160 feet as it flies a horizontal distance of 1,000 feet. How much altitude will it gain as it flies a horizontal distance of 1 mile? ( Hint: 5,280 feet = 1 mile.) Round your answer to the nearest integer.
A) x = 870 ft
B) x = 813 ft
C) x = 845 ft
D) x = 885 ft
E) x = 833 ft

Question

Use similar triangles to help solve the problem. An airplane ascends 160 feet as it flies a horizontal distance of 1,000 feet. How much altitude will it gain as it flies a horizontal distance of 1 mile? ( Hint: 5,280 feet = 1 mile.) Round your answer to the nearest integer. 
A) x = 870 ft 
B) x = 813 ft 
C) x = 845 ft 
D) x = 885 ft 
E) x = 833 ft

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By using similar triangles, we can set up the following proportion:

$\frac{160}{1000} = \frac{x}{5280}$

where x is the altitude gain over 1 mile. Solving for x:

$x = \frac{160*5280}{1000} \approx \boxed{845 	ext{ ft}}$

Use Similar Triangles to Help Solve the Problem