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A flagpole is 25 ft tall. The flagpole is casting a shadow that is 42 feetlong. What is the angle of depression?

A Flagpole Is 25 Ft Tall The Flagpole Is Casting A Shadow That Is 42 Feetlong What Is The Angle Of Depression class=

Answer :

We can draw the following picture:

then we need to find angle theta. However, in order to find theta, we must find angle x first.

Since we have a right triangle, we can apply the tangent function as:

[tex]\tan x=\frac{42}{25}[/tex]

then, x is given by

[tex]\begin{gathered} x=\tan ^{-1}(\frac{42}{25}) \\ x=\tan ^{-1}(1.68) \end{gathered}[/tex]

then, x is equal to

[tex]x=59.24\text{ degr}ees[/tex]

Now, angle x and angle theta are complementary, this means that

[tex]x+\theta=90[/tex]

then, we have

[tex]\begin{gathered} \theta=90-x \\ \theta=90-59.24 \\ \theta=30.76 \end{gathered}[/tex]

Therefore, the angle of depression (theta) is equal to 30.76 degrees.

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