The line of sight from a small boat to the light at the top of a 35-foot lighthouse built on a cliff 25 feet above the water makes a 25° angle with the water. To the nearest foot, how far is the boat from the cliff?

Question

Mercury · Answer

|dw:1619574483086:dw|

here we have the opposite side of an angle, and we want to know the length of the adjacent side. therefore, tan is the appropriate ratio. tan(25 degrees) = (35 + 25) / (x)