A lighthouse that rises h = 50 ft above the surface of the water sits on a rocky cliff that extends 19 ft from its base, as shown in the figure. A sailor on the deck of a ship sights the top of the lighthouse at an angle of θ = 28.0° above the horizontal. If the sailor's eye level is 14 ft above the water, how far is the ship from the rocks?

1 answer

horizonal distance total=rock distance+19ft

height up to top= 50-14

Tan28=heightuptoTop/horizontal distance

tan28deg=(36/(d+14))

solve for d