Kyra is standing 50 feet from the kite she is flying. The string of the kite forms an angle of 27°

with the ground. How high in the air is the kite? (1 point)
Responses

98.13 ft.
98.13 ft.

25.48 ft.
25.48 ft.

22.66 ft.
22.66 ft.

32.18 ft.
32.18 ft.

1 answer

To find the height of the kite above the ground, we can use the sine function from trigonometry. The sine function relates the angle of a right triangle to the ratio of the opposite side (height of the kite) to the hypotenuse (length of the string).

In this case:

  • The adjacent side (distance from Kyra to the base of the kite) is 50 feet.
  • The angle is 27°.

We can use the following formula:

\[ \text{Height} = \text{hypotenuse} \cdot \sin(\text{angle}) \]

However, we don't know the length of the string (hypotenuse). To find it, we can use the cosine function, since we know the adjacent side.

\[ \cos(27°) = \frac{\text{Adjacent}}{\text{Hypotenuse}} \Rightarrow \text{Hypotenuse} = \frac{\text{Adjacent}}{\cos(27°)} \]

First, let's calculate the hypotenuse:

\[ \text{Hypotenuse} = \frac{50}{\cos(27°)} \]

Next, we can find the height using the sine function.

\[ \text{Height} = \text{Hypotenuse} \cdot \sin(27°) \]

Calculating the cosine and sine values:

  1. Calculate \( \cos(27°) \) and \( \sin(27°) \):
    • \( \cos(27°) \approx 0.846 \)
    • \( \sin(27°) \approx 0.454 \)

Now calculate the hypotenuse:

\[ \text{Hypotenuse} = \frac{50}{0.846} \approx 59.06 \text{ feet} \]

Now calculate the height:

\[ \text{Height} = 59.06 \cdot 0.454 \approx 26.83 \text{ feet} \]

This does not seem to match any provided options. However, if we instead use the tangent function for the height directly, since we know the opposite and adjacent sides:

\[ \tan(27°) = \frac{\text{Height}}{50} \Rightarrow \text{Height} = 50 \cdot \tan(27°) \]

Calculating \( \tan(27°) \):

  • \( \tan(27°) \approx 0.510 \)

Now calculate the height:

\[ \text{Height} = 50 \cdot 0.510 \approx 25.50 \text{ feet} \]

This rounded value is closest to 25.48 ft.

Thus, the height of the kite is approximately 25.48 ft.