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Jillian is a firefighter. She stands at an observation window 8585 ft above the ground. From a distance, she spots a fire! She takes a reading -- and she sees that the angle of depression is 2828^\circ. To the nearest tenth of a foot, how far away from the base of the tower is the fire?

Full solution

Q. Jillian is a firefighter. She stands at an observation window 8585 ft above the ground. From a distance, she spots a fire! She takes a reading -- and she sees that the angle of depression is 2828^\circ. To the nearest tenth of a foot, how far away from the base of the tower is the fire?
  1. Identify Relationship: Identify the relationship between the angle of depression and the angle of elevation.\newlineThe angle of elevation from the base to Jillian's eyes is also 2828^\circ because angles of elevation and depression are congruent.
  2. Use Tangent Function: Use the tangent function, which relates the opposite side (height of the tower) to the adjacent side (distance from the base of the tower to the fire).\newlinetan(28)=oppositeadjacent=85distance\tan(28^\circ) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}} = \frac{85}{\text{distance}}
  3. Solve for Distance: Solve for the distance by multiplying both sides by the distance and then dividing by tan(28°)\tan(28°).\newlinedistance=85tan(28°)\text{distance} = \frac{85}{\tan(28°)}
  4. Calculate Distance: Calculate the distance using a calculator.\newlinedistance = 85/tan(28°)85/0.5317159.985 / \tan(28°) \approx 85 / 0.5317 \approx 159.9 feet

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