A tree that is 100 feet tall casts a shadow that is 150 feet long. Determine the angle at which the rays of the sun hit the ground, to the nearest degree.

Answer 1

tan ( theta ) = 100 / 150 = 2 * 50 / ( 3 * 50 )

tan ( theta ) = 2 / 3

theta = tan ^ - 1 ( 2 / 3 )

theta = 33.69 °

theta = 34 ° ( to the nearest degree )

Remark :

tan ^ - 1 ( 2 / 3 )

is the inverse tangent function of 2 / 3