how do I set up this problem a man standing on the deck of a ship with his eyes 25 feet above sea level notes that the angle of elevation to the top of a 25 foot lighthouse is 3 degrees 27 minutes. how far is the boat from the lighthouse

Question

Reiny · Answer

Strange wording. How high is the lighthouse above the sea level ?

Steve · Answer

you can see why Reiny's asking his question. If the base of the lighthouse is at sea level, then the man's eyes are at the same height as the top of the lighthouse, and the angle of elevation will be zero.

So, if the base of the lighthouse is at height h, then the top of the lighthouse is h above the man's eyes. So, the distance d of the boat can be found by

h/d = tan 3°27'

looks like something's amiss with the wording of the problem.

Fiesta · Answer

Two boats traveling toward a lighthouse that is 20o ft above sea level at its top. When the 2 boats and the lighthouse are collinear, the boats are exactly 250 ft apart and the boat closest to the lighthouse of 15° as shown.
Find the measure of x, rounded to the nearest hundredth.