To calculate how far east the car travels when it goes 45 km at an angle of 35° north of east, you will want to find the adjacent side of the right triangle formed by the car's path. In this scenario, the hypotenuse is the distance traveled (45 km), the angle is 35° (from the east line), and the eastward distance corresponds to the adjacent side.
You should use the cosine function because the cosine of an angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the hypotenuse. The formula can be expressed as:
\[ \text{adjacent} = \text{hypotenuse} \times \cos(\theta) \]
Where:
- \(\text{hypotenuse} = 45 \text{ km}\)
- \(\theta = 35°\)
Thus, the calculation would be:
\[ \text{East distance} = 45 , \text{km} \times \cos(35°) \]
Therefore, the correct statement from your options is the one mentioning:
Since we know the hypotenuse and want to calculate the adjacent side of the given angle, we use the cosine function multiplied by the hypotenuse.
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