Asked by Anonymous

At a point on the ground 50 feet from the foot of a tree, the angle of elevation to the top of the tree is 53°. Find the height of the tree to the nearest foot.

I got 50xtan53 = 66.35 nearest foot ? would I use tan or sin since I'm finding the foot of the tree
Answered by Damon
tan 53 = height/distance

yes, 66 to nearest foot

The right angle is at the foot of the tree.
ALWAYS draw a picture
tan 53 = opposite (tree) / adjacent(along ground

the hypotenuse is along your line of sight, not used here
Answered by Reiny
correct

in reference to your angle you are involving the opposite and the adjacent side

since tanØ = opposite/adjacent
your choice of tangent was correct.
Answered by Anonymous
so it's 66 not 66.35 ? right
Answered by Reiny
yes, to the nearest foot it is 66 ft
Answered by Damon
right, you asked for nearest foot
Answered by Anonymous
oh okay, it's confusing, thank you guys!
Answered by Damon
You are welcome.