An airplane over the Pacific sights an atoll at an angle of depression of 5º. At this time, the horizontal distance from the airplane to the atoll is 4629 meters. What is the height of the plane to the nearest meter?

Question

An airplane over the Pacific sights an atoll at an angle of depression of 5º.  At this time, the horizontal distance from the airplane to the atoll is 4629 meters.  What is the height of the plane to the nearest meter?

anonymous · Answer

Looks like you would need to use trigonometry.  You have the angle and the adjacent side of a right triangle given.  Now you just need to find the opposite side for the height.

Using the mnemonic SOH CAH TOA.  We see the Tangent uses opposite and adjacent.
$$\tan 5 = opp / 4629$$
Now just solve for the opposite side (opp) which is the height.

anonymous · Answer

i think it is
height h=4629tan5=405 approx