An observer (O) spots a plane flying at a 35° angle to his horizontal line of sight. If the plane is flying at an altitude of 17,000 feet, what is the distance (x) from the plane (P) to the observer (O)?

A right triangle is shown with angle O marked 35 degrees, hypotenuse marked x, and height marked 17,000 feet.

Question

An observer (O) spots a plane flying at a 35° angle to his horizontal line of sight. If the plane is flying at an altitude of 17,000 feet, what is the distance (x) from the plane (P) to the observer (O)?

A right triangle is shown with angle O marked 35 degrees, hypotenuse marked x, and height marked 17,000 feet.

surjithayer · Answer

use trigonometric ratio for sine
$$\sin 35=\frac{ 17000 }{ x}$$
$$x=\frac{ 17000 }{ \sin 35 }=?$$