document.write( "Question 211660This question is from textbook Trigonometry
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\n" ); document.write( "From a 60foot observation tower on the coast, a Coast Guard officer sights a boat in difficulty. The angle of depression of the boat is 3degrees. How far is the boat from the shoreline??
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Algebra.Com's Answer #159972 by Edwin McCravy(20060) $\"\"$ $\"About$

You can put this solution on YOUR website!

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document.write( "To show the angle of depression, draw\r\n" );
document.write( "a horizontal line at the top of the tower:\r\n" );
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document.write( "The angle between that horizontal and the \r\n" );
document.write( "line of sight to the boat is 3°\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now by alternate interior angles the angle in the right\r\n" );
document.write( "corner of the triangle is also 3°\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now 60 is the opposite side to the angle 3° \r\n" );
document.write( "at the bottom right corner, and x is the adjacent side.\r\n" );
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document.write( "So we know to use tangent\r\n" );
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document.write( "tan(3°) = \r\n" );
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document.write( "Multiply both sides by x\r\n" );
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document.write( "x*tan(3°) = 60\r\n" );
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document.write( "x = \r\n" );
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document.write( "or about 1145 feet.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin

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