Question

A kite and a height of 75 meters from the ground is attached to a string inclined at 60 degrees to the horizontal. How do you find the length of the string to the nearest meter?

Answer 1

the easy way is to remember that the sides of a 30-60-90 triangle are in the ratio

1:√3:2

You have a long side of 75, so the other two sides are

75/√3,75,150/√3

The string is the long side.

Or, using trig, the length of the string, x, is found using

75/x = sin 60°

Answer 2

I divided sin 60 degrees and 75 and got 0.0115.

Answer 3

Didn't that answer strike you as totally unreasonable?
How can the kite-string be only 1 cm long ??

Steve told you : 75/x = sin 60°
so x sin60 = 75
x = 75/sin60 = appr 86.6 metres

Answer 4

Yes it did. I just wasn't familiar with the concept but thanks.

Answer 5

Oh the mistake was me putting sin60 over 75. I understand the concept.