Question

A plane is taking off at an angle θ=12°
from a horizontal runway. To the nearest foot, find the distance the plane has flown when its altitude is 300 feet from the ground.

Answer 1

Let s be the distance flown (the hypotenuse). Since altitude = s·sin θ,

s = 300 / sin(12°) ≈ 300 / 0.2079117 ≈ 1443 feet.

So the plane has flown about 1,443 ft.