Question

Salvador and Armando use a land surveying tool, a clinometer, to determine the angle of depression from their position on a bridge to a person in a boat on the water. They know the bridge is 110 feet above the water and the angle of depression is 40 degrees. How far (to the nearest foot) horizontally is the boat from Salvador and Armando?(1 point)
Responses

144 feet
144 feet

48 feet
48 feet

71 feet
71 feet

131 feet

Answer 1

Let d be the horizontal distance. tan(40°) = opposite/adjacent = 110 / d, so d = 110 / tan(40°) ≈ 110 / 0.8391 ≈ 131.2 ≈ 131 feet.

Answer: 131 feet.