PLEASE HELP!
A shooting star forms a right triangle with the Earth and the sun as below:

A scientist measures the angle x and the distance y between the Earth and the Sun. Explain how the scientist can use only two measurements to calculate between the Earth and the shooting star.

Question

PLEASE HELP! 
A shooting star forms a right triangle with the Earth and the sun as below: 

A scientist measures the angle x and the distance y between the Earth and the Sun. Explain how the scientist can use only two measurements to calculate between the Earth and the shooting star.

anonymous · Answer

attachment

dumbcow · Answer

use tangent function

tan x = BA/y

anonymous · Answer

@dumbcow can you explain it a little more?

dumbcow · Answer

you have a right triangle 
the trig ratios from a right triangle are:

sin A = opposite/hypotenuse
cos A = adjacent/hypotenuse
tan A = opposite/adjacent

given angle "x" and adjacent side "y", we want to find opposite side BA
thus we use the tangent ratio

tan(x) = BA/y

solving for unknown side BA
BA = y*tan(x)

anonymous · Answer

so with that what would the answer be? do you know? @dumbcow

dumbcow · Answer

haha are you serious i just explained it .... that is the answer

side BA is written in terms of given mesurements x and y

anonymous · Answer

lol okay thank you i really appreciate your help.

dumbcow · Answer

yw :)