SOLUTION: I am having problems with this question I am not sure how to start or finish it. A hot air balloon is between two spotters who are 1.6 mile apart. One spotter reports that the angl

Question 209141: I am having problems with this question I am not sure how to start or finish it. A hot air balloon is between two spotters who are 1.6 mile apart. One spotter reports that the angle of elevation is 64 degrees and the other reports that is it 74 degrees. What is the altitude of the balloon? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Answer by stanbon(75887) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I am having problems with this question I am not sure how to start or finish it. A hot air balloon is between two spotters who are 1.6 mile apart. One spotter reports that the angle of elevation is 64 degrees and the other reports that is it 74 degrees. What is the altitude of the balloon?
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Draw the picture and you will see you have two right triangles
and the height of the balloon is a leg of both triangles.
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Let the height be "h".
Let the two pieces of the base be x and 1.6-x
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Then tan(64) = h/x and tan(74) = h/(1.6-x)
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You have two equations with two variables.
Solve the system for "h".
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Cheers,
Stan H.
Reply to stanbon@comcast.net or algebra.com
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