An observer (O) spots a plane (P) taking off from a local airport and flying at a 33° angle horizontal to her line of sight and located directly above a tower (T). The observer also notices a bird (B) circling directly above her. If the distance from the plane (P) to the tower (T) is 7,000 ft., how far is the bird (B) from the plane (P) ? Round to the nearest whole number.

Question

Brittany Taylor

Mathematics

10 August, 12:30

An observer (O) spots a plane (P) taking off from a local airport and flying at a 33° angle horizontal to her line of sight and located directly above a tower (T). The observer also notices a bird (B) circling directly above her. If the distance from the plane (P) to the tower (T) is 7,000 ft., how far is the bird (B) from the plane (P) ? Round to the nearest whole number.

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Answers (1)

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Ruth Pittman · Answer 1

It would be best to visualize the problem carefully. The plane is directly above the tower, with the bird directly above the girl.

Let x = distance between bird and plane

tan 33 = 7000 / x

x = 7000 / tan 33

x = - 92.95 feet

That's odd. The answer should be positive because distance is always positive. I believe my calculations are right. The given values could be wrong.