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Mathematics 24 Online
OpenStudy (anonymous):

he angle of depression from the top of a lighthouse to a boat in the water is 30°. If the lighthouse is 89 feet tall how far is the boat from the lighthouse to the nearest foot

OpenStudy (mathstudent55):

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OpenStudy (mathstudent55):

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OpenStudy (mathstudent55):

This is a 30-60-90 degree triangle. You should memorize the lengths of the sides of this triangle. They are in a ratio of 1: sqrt(3) : 2 This means that the hypotenuse is twice the length of the short leg. The long leg is sqrt(3) times longer than the short leg. In this problem, you are given that the long leg measures 89 ft. That is sqrt(3) times longer than the short leg, which is what you want, so divide 89 ft by sqrt(3) to get your answer.

OpenStudy (anonymous):

I have to but in just to say that was a cool drawing !

OpenStudy (anonymous):

i dont know what to do

OpenStudy (mathstudent55):

The side you know, 89 ft, corresponds to sqrt(3). The side you want, x, corresponds to 1. Just like you divide sqrt(3) by sqrt(3) to get 1, divide 89 ft by sqrt(3) to get x. |dw:1370399905208:dw|

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