SOLUTION: A vertical shadow stick has a heoght of 1.8m. If the angle of elevation of the sun is 42° what is the length of the shadow at that time

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Question 895806: A vertical shadow stick has a heoght of 1.8m. If the angle of elevation of the sun is 42° what is the length of the shadow at that time
Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
tan(42) = 1.8/x

x = 1.8/tan(42)

x = 1.999...

this is reasonable since, if the angle was 45 degrees, the shadow would have been 1.8 meters.

1.8 is the opposite side of the angle.
x is the adjacent side of the angle.
the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed is the direct line from the end of the shadow to the sun.

that line and the ground form the angle of elevation.

here's a picture:

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