An observer 1.5 m tall is 28.5 m away from a tower. The angle of eleva...
To solve for the height of the tower, we use the tangent function. The angle of elevation is 45°, and the horizontal distance from the observer to the tower is 28.5 m.
Let the height of the tower be h. The observer's eye level is 1.5 m, so the difference in height between the top of the tower and the observer's eyes is h−1.5h.

View all questions of this test
An observer 1.5 m tall is 28.5 m away from a tower. The angle of eleva...
Understanding the Scenario
To solve the problem, we need to visualize the situation involving the observer and the tower. The observer is standing 28.5 m away from the base of the tower, and his height is 1.5 m. The angle of elevation to the top of the tower is 45 degrees.
Key Concepts
- Angle of Elevation: It is the angle formed by the line of sight of an observer looking up at an object.
- Right Triangle: The observer, the tower, and the ground form a right triangle where:
- The height of the tower is the opposite side.
- The distance from the observer to the tower is the adjacent side.
Calculating the Height of the Tower
1. Right Triangle Properties:
- The height from the observer's eyes to the top of the tower can be calculated using the tangent function since the angle of elevation is 45 degrees.
- For an angle of 45 degrees, the tangent of the angle is equal to 1 (tan(45) = 1).
2. Using the Distance:
- The distance from the observer to the tower is 28.5 m. Therefore, we have:
- Height from observer's eyes to tower top = tan(45 degrees) * distance
- This gives us: Height = 1 * 28.5 m = 28.5 m.
3. Total Height of the Tower:
- Since the observer's height is 1.5 m, the total height of the tower is:
- Total Height = Height from eyes to tower top + Height of observer
- Total Height = 28.5 m + 1.5 m = 30 m.
Conclusion
Thus, the height of the tower is 30 m, which corresponds to option C.
An observer 1.5 m tall is 28.5 m away from a tower. The angle of eleva...
To solve for the height of the tower, we use the tangent function. The angle of elevation is 45°, and the horizontal distance from the observer to the tower is 28.5 m.
Let the height of the tower be h. The observer's eye level is 1.5 m, so the difference in height between the top of the tower and the observer's eyes is h−1.5h.
