Question

An airplane is descending onto a runway. If the airplane is making a 12° angle with the horizontal lineand its altitude is 500 feet, what is the horizontal distance between the airplane and the point it reachesthe ground? Round the answer to the nearest foot.
(1 point)
2,352 feet
932 feet
511 feet
2,405 feet

Answer 1

Let x be the horizontal distance. Since tan(12°) = opposite/adjacent = 500 / x, we have

x = 500 / tan(12°) ≈ 500 / 0.2125566 ≈ 2351.9 ≈ 2352 feet.

Answer: 2,352 feet.