Question

A person standing on the ground observes the top of a tree at an angle of elevation of 45 degrees. If the person is 10 meters away from the base of the tree, what is the height of the tree?

Ask by Riley Montgomery. in the United States
Jan 27,2025

Real Tutor Solution

Tutor-Verified Answer

Answer

The tree is 10 meters tall.

Solution

To determine the height of the tree, we can use trigonometry, specifically the tangent of the angle of elevation. ### Given: - **Angle of elevation (θ):** 45 degrees - **Distance from the person to the base of the tree (adjacent side):** 10 meters ### Objective: Find the **height of the tree (opposite side)**. ### Using the Tangent Function: The tangent of an angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side. \[ \tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}} \] Plugging in the known values: \[ \tan(45^\circ) = \frac{h}{10} \] We know that: \[ \tan(45^\circ) = 1 \] So, \[ 1 = \frac{h}{10} \] ### Solving for \( h \): \[ h = 10 \times 1 = 10 \text{ meters} \] ### **Answer:** The tree is 10 meters tall.

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The Deep Dive

To find the height of the tree, you can use basic trigonometry. When a person observes the top of the tree at a 45-degree angle and is standing 10 meters away from the base, you can visualize a right triangle where the height of the tree is the opposite side, and the distance from the person to the base of the tree is the adjacent side. Using the tangent function, which is the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side in a right triangle: \[ \tan(45^\circ) = \frac{\text{height of the tree}}{\text{distance from the tree base}} \] Since \(\tan(45^\circ) = 1\), we get: \[ 1 = \frac{\text{height}}{10} \] Thus, the height of the tree is: \[ \text{height} = 10 \text{ meters} \] So, the height of the tree is 10 meters!

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