SOLUTION: Can you please help me with this question ? A waterslide is 400 yards long with a vertical drop of 36.3 yards. Find the angle of depression of the slide and round to the nearest

Algebra ->  Trigonometry-basics -> SOLUTION: Can you please help me with this question ? A waterslide is 400 yards long with a vertical drop of 36.3 yards. Find the angle of depression of the slide and round to the nearest       Log On


   

Question 305996: Can you please help me with this question ?
A waterslide is 400 yards long with a vertical drop of 36.3 yards. Find the angle of depression of the slide and round to the nearest tenth.
I believe to set this problem up, that the 400 goes on the bottom part of the trangle & the 36.3 goes on the vertical part & X goes on the slanted part. But I need help solving it. Thank you !
Found 2 solutions by josmiceli, edjones:
Answer by josmiceli(19441) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I believe they mean the physical slide itself, that is the length of plastic
material that make up the slide is 400 yds long. That would make it
the slanted part or hypotenuse.
The vertical part is 36.3 yds
I'm not sure if the angle of depression is the angle the slide
makes with the ground, or the angle it makes at the top with
the vertical.
If it's the angle the slide makes with the ground,
call that angle a
sin%28a%29+=+36.3%2F400
sin%28a%29+=.09075%0D%0A%7B%7B%7Ba = arcsin.09075
You can find this on your calculator

Answer by edjones(8007) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Hypotenuse=400
adjacent=36.3
cos=36.3/400=.0975
cos^-1=84.79 degrees Angle of depression.
.
Ed