SOLUTION: A rectangle field is 20 meters longer than it is wide. When Patrick walks from one corner to the opposite corner, he makes an angle of 55 degrees with the shorter side of the field

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Question 718790: A rectangle field is 20 meters longer than it is wide. When Patrick walks from one corner to the opposite corner, he makes an angle of 55 degrees with the shorter side of the field. Find the width of the field.
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A rectangle field is 20 meters longer than it is wide.
When Patrick walks from one corner to the opposite corner, he makes an angle of 55 degrees with the shorter side of the field.
Find the width of the field.
:
If you draw a diagram of this you can see that the tangent of the angle which is side opposite over side adjacent or tan(55) equal the length over the width.
:
Let x = the width
then
(x+20) = the length
;
tan(55) = %28%28x%2B20%29%29%2Fx
1.428x = x + 20
1.428x - x = 20
.428x = 20
x = 20/.428
x = 46.7 meters is the length