SOLUTION: A tall tree is 142 ft tall. On a particular day at noon it casts a 249 ft shadow. What is the sun's angle of elevation at that time?

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Question 626479: A tall tree is 142 ft tall. On a particular day at noon it casts a 249 ft shadow. What is the sun's angle of elevation at that time?
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
tan(angle) = opposite/adjacent

tan(x) = 142/249

arctan(tan(x)) = arctan(142/249)

x = arctan(142/249)

x = arctan(0.570281124497992)

x = 29.6952960392971

So the sun's angle of elevation is roughly 29.695 degrees

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