Question

A highway makes an angle of 6 with the horizontal. This angle is maintained for a horizontal distance of 5 miles.
To the nearest hundredth of a mile, how high does the highway rise in this 5-mile section? Show the steps you use to find the distance.

Answer 1

I got .53 Using sin

Answer 2

Not sin :P We need to use a trig function that includes a known quantity as well as the unknown one. Sin is opposite over hypotenuse, but the hypotenuse gives us no information. We use tangent because tangent is opposite over adjacent, which includes our x as well as our known quantity

Answer 3

What???

Answer 4

Sine is opposite over hypotenuse.

You have opposite side over adjacent side which is NOT sine.

Answer 5

I thought we would do...