document.write( "Question 83632: Suppose you live 4.4 miles from a hill. From your home you see a plane directly above the hill. Your angle of elevation to the plane is 30 degrees. What is the plane's altitude? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #60268 by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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Suppose you live 4.4 miles from a hill. From your home you see a plane directly above the hill. Your angle of elevation to the plane is 30 degrees. What is the plane's altitude?
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\n" ); document.write( "A right triangle formed by the line of sight to the plane (hypotenuse),
\n" ); document.write( "Distance to the hill (given as 4.4 miles)
\n" ); document.write( "the altitude of the plane; call it x
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\n" ); document.write( "Use the tan of 30 degrees; side opposite = x, side adjacent = 4.4 mi
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\n" ); document.write( "Tan(30) = $\"x%2F4.4\"$
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\n" ); document.write( ".57735 = $\"x%2F4.4\"$
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\n" ); document.write( "x = 4.4 * .57735
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\n" ); document.write( "x = 2.54 miles high
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\n" ); document.write( "Altitude usually given in feet: 2.54 * 5280 ~ 13,400 ft \n" ); document.write( "

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