BSEM 23

Trigonometry

Name: Shery Mae L. Cariaga Date : December 23, 2021

Solve the following:

1. A pole of height 30m has a shadow of length 17.32ft at a particular instant of time.
Find the angle of elevation of the sun at this point of time.

Let 𝜃 be the angle of elevation of the sun at this point of time then, convert the height of
the pole to ft.

3.28084
= 30𝑚 𝑥
1
= 98.4252 ft.

98.4252𝑓𝑡. 98.4252
tan 𝜃 = 17.32 𝑓𝑡.
𝑥 17.32
-1 98.4252
=tan 17.32
= 80 o1’11’’

Therefore, the angle of elevation of the sun at this point is 80 o1’11’’.

2. A little boy is flying a kite. The string of the kite makes an angle of 30 o with the ground.
If the height of the kite is 9m., find the length in meters of the string that the boy has
used.

Let 𝑥 be the length in meters of the string that the boy has used.

9𝑚
sin 300 =
𝑥
9𝑚
𝑥=
sin 300
𝑥 = 𝟏𝟖𝒎

Therefore, the length of the string in meters that the boy has used is 18m.

3. Two men on opposite sides of TV tower of height 24m notice that the angle of elevation
of the top of the tower is 450 and 600, respectively. Find the distance in meters between
the two men.

Let 𝑥 be the distance of a first man in the ground to the base of tv tower with an angle
of elevation 450.
Let 𝑦 be the distance of a second man in the ground to the base of tv tower with an
angle of elevation 600.
Let 𝑥 + 𝑦 be the distance in meters between the two men.

24𝑚 24𝑚
tan 450 = 𝑥
tan 600 = 𝑥
𝑥 + 𝑦 = 24𝑚 + 8√3m
 24𝑚 24𝑚
𝑥= 𝑦= = 24𝑚 + 8√3
tan 450 tan 600
𝑥 = 24𝑚 𝑦 = 8√3m = 𝟑𝟕. 𝟖𝟔𝒎

Therefore, the distance in meters between the two men is 37.86m.

4. From a position 150ft above the ground an observer in a building measures the angles
of depression to be 120 and 340, respectively, to the top and bottom of a smaller building.
Find the height of the smaller building

Let h be the height of then small building

Let x be the base length of the small building to the building with 150ft.
Let y be the vertical distance of the position of observer and the top of the small building
wherein y = 150ft. – h.

150𝑓𝑡. 𝑦
tan 340 = tan 120 =
𝑥 𝑥

150𝑓𝑡. 150𝑓𝑡.−ℎ
𝑥= tan 120 =
tan 34 0 222.38𝑓𝑡.
𝑥 = 222.38 𝑓𝑡. 228.38𝑓𝑡. (tan 120 ) = 150𝑓𝑡. −ℎ
ℎ = 150𝑓𝑡. −222.38𝑓𝑡. (tan 120 )
ℎ = 102.7307907
𝒉 = 𝟏𝟎𝟐. 𝟕𝟑𝒇𝒕.

Therefore, the height of the smaller building is 102.73ft.

5. As the angle of elevation from the top of a tower to the sun decreases from 640 to 490
during the day, the length of the shadow of the tower increases by 92ft along the ground.
Assuming that the ground is level, find the height of the tower.
Consider the triangle with the angle of elevation of 640.
ℎ
tan 640 =
𝑦
ℎ = 𝑦 tan 640 = equation 1

Consider the triangle with the angle of elevation of 490.

ℎ
tan 450 = 92𝑓𝑡.+𝑦
ℎ = tan 490 (92𝑓𝑡. +𝑦) = equation 2

Substitute the value of h from the equation 1 to equation 2.

y tan 640 = tan 490 (92𝑓𝑡. +𝑦)
y tan 640 = 92ft. tan 490 + 𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑛 490
y tan 640 − y tan 490 = 92 𝑓𝑡. 𝑡𝑎𝑛 490
y (tan 640 − tan 490 ) = 92 𝑓𝑡. 𝑡𝑎𝑛 490
y (tan 640 −tan 490 ) 92𝑓𝑡.𝑡𝑎𝑛 490
(tan 64 0 −tan 490 )
= (tan 640 −tan 490 )

92𝑓𝑡. 𝑡𝑎𝑛 490

𝑦=
(tan 640 − tan 490 )

𝒚 = 𝟏𝟏𝟕. 𝟔𝟎𝟏𝟔𝟓𝟏𝟕𝒇𝒕.
𝒚 = 𝟏𝟏𝟕. 𝟔𝟎𝒇𝒕.
 To get the value of h or the height of the tower, substitute the value of y from the
equation 1.

ℎ = y tan 640
ℎ = (117.6016517𝑓𝑡. ) tan 640
ℎ = 𝟐𝟒𝟏. 𝟏𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟏𝟖𝟐𝒇𝒕.
𝒉 = 𝟐𝟒𝟏. 𝟏𝟐𝒇𝒕.

Therefore, the height of the tower is 241.12ft.

6. Two buildings with flat roofs are 60m apart. From the roof of the shorter building, 40m
in height, the angle of elevation to the edge of the roof of the taller building is 400. How
high is the taller building?
Let h is the height of the taller building
Let y be the vertical distance of the two buildings that are 60m apart wherein y = h –
40m.

𝑦
tan 400 = 60𝑚

ℎ−40𝑚
tan 400 =
60𝑚
tan 400 = 40𝑚 + 60𝑚 tan 400
𝒉 = 𝟗𝟎. 𝟑𝟒𝟓𝟗𝟕𝟕𝟖𝟕𝒎
𝒉 = 𝟗𝟎. 𝟑𝟓𝒎

Therefore, the height of the taller building is 90.35m

7. A ladder with its foot in the street makes an angle of 300 with the street when its top
rests on a building on one side of the street and makes an angle of 400 with the street
when its top rests on a building on the other side of the street. If the ladder is 50ft long,
how wide is the street?
Let x be the distance of the first building on the other side of the street.
Let y be the distance of the other building on another side of the street when its top
rests on a building on the other side of the street.
Let x=y be the wide of the street.
𝑥
cos 300 = 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 50𝑓𝑡. cos 300 + 50𝑓𝑡. cos 400
50𝑓𝑡

𝑥 = 50𝑓𝑡. cos 300 = 43. 30127019𝑓𝑡. +38.30222216

𝑦
cos 300 = = 81.60349235
50𝑓𝑡
𝑦 = 50𝑓𝑡. cos 400 = 𝟖𝟏. 𝟔𝟎𝒇𝒕.

Therefore, the street is 81.60ft. wide.

8. A wall is 10ft tall and is 15ft from a house. A window in the house is 30.5 feet above the
ground. A fire escape slide attaches to the bottom of the window and to the top of the
wall opposite the window. How long a slide must be purchased?
Let s be the measurement of the side.
Let d be the vertical distance of the top of the wall and the bottom of the window.

𝑑 = 30.5𝑓𝑡. −10𝑓𝑡.
𝑑 = 20.5𝑓𝑡.

𝑠 = √𝑑2 + (15𝑓𝑡. )2
𝑠 = √20.25𝑓𝑡.2 + (15𝑓𝑡. )2
𝑠 = √420.25𝑓𝑡.2 + 225𝑓𝑡 2
𝑠 = √645.5𝑓𝑡.2
𝑠 = 25.40177159𝑓𝑡.
𝒔 = 𝟐𝟓. 𝟒𝟎𝐟𝐭.

Therefore, the slide is 25.40ft. long.