While camping by the Merced River in Yosemite Valley, a group of friends were admiring a particular tree on the opposite bank. Maria claimed that the height of the tree could be determined from the group’s side of the river by the following method:
• Measure a 50 meter segment,, on this shore.
• Considering the tree to be located at point C, measure and .
• From A, measure the angle of evaluation to the top of the tree.
• Use the measurement below with some trigonometric ratio to calculate the height.
The friends measured to be and to be . The angle of elevation from point A was .
Draw a sketch of the situation and determine whether Maria was correct. If she was, compute the height; if not, explain why not.