SOLUTION: From the top of a 130m high building, the angle of depression of Jenny and Johnny on the ground were found to be 34 degrees 16 minutes and 54 degrees 12 minutes, respectively. Find

Question 709201: From the top of a 130m high building, the angle of depression of Jenny and Johnny on the ground were found to be 34 degrees 16 minutes and 54 degrees 12 minutes, respectively. Find the distance between them.
Can you also please help me with illustrating this? I have a hard time illustrating triangles. Thanks.
Answer by jsmallt9(3759) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
This problem is just like your plane and ships problem. (You can even reuse the diagram as long as you change the angles and the heights!) So you can solve it the same way as I showed you in that problem.

The only substantial difference between this problem and the other one is that the angles are not whole numbers. To handle angles measured in degrees and minutes you must convert them into a decimal number of degrees.

Since there are 60 minutes in a degree, 34 degrees and 16 minutes is the same as degrees. Now we convert the fraction into a decimal by dividing 16/60. So 34 degrees 16 minutes, as a decimal number of degrees, is: 34.266666... Round this off as you see fit.

I'll leave it up to you to convert 54 degrees 12 minutes to a decimal number of degrees.

Then as you solve the problem you will be using these decimal numbers in your tan's.

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