A passenger in an airplane looks out the window and spots the airport in the distance. The angle of depression to the airport is 63°, and the airplane is flying at 18,000 feet. What is the horizontal distance to the airport?

Respuesta :

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Answer:

  about 9171 feet

Step-by-step explanation:

It can help to draw a diagram.

The relation between angle, opposite side, and adjacent side in a right triangle is ...

  Tan = Opposite/Adjacent

  tan(63°) = (18000 ft)/(horizontal distance)

  horizontal distance = (18000 ft)/tan(63°) ≈ 9171 ft

The horizontal distance to the airport is about 9171 feet.

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