Q:

Picture is not drawn to scale.Howard is standing 91 yards from the bottom of a water reservoir. He estimates that the angle of elevation to the top of the water reservoir is about 50°. About how far is Howard from the top of the water reservoir? A. 58 yards B. 119 yards C. 142 yards D. 76 yards

Accepted Solution

A:
Answer:142 yards.Step-by-step explanation:See the attached diagram. Let the reservoir is AC and Howard is standing at B and AB = 91 yards. Now, the angle of elevation from B to the top of the reservoir C is 50°. Then using trigonometry, [tex]\cos 50 = \frac{AB}{BC} = \frac{91}{BC}[/tex] ⇒ [tex]BC = \frac{91}{\cos 50}  = 141.57[/tex] ≈ 142 yards. Therefore, the distance of Howard from the top of the reservoir is 142 yards. (Answer)