Caleb is trying to find the height of a radio antenna on the roof of a local building. He stands at a horizontal distance of 17 meters from the building. The angle of elevation from his eyes to the roof (point \( A \) ) is \( 38^{\circ} \), and the angle of elevation from his eyes to the top of the antenna (point \( B \) ) is \( 53^{\circ} \). If his eyes are 1.58 meters from the ground, find the height of the antenna (the distance from point \( A \) to point \( B \) ). Round your answer to the nearest meter if necessary.
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To find the height of the radio antenna, we can use some trigonometric principles! First, we need to calculate the height of point \( A \) (the roof) using the angle of elevation to point \( A \). Using the tangent function: \[ h_A = d \cdot \tan(\theta_A) + h_{eyes} \] where \( d = 17 \) meters, \( \theta_A = 38^{\circ} \), and \( h_{eyes} = 1.58 \) meters. \[ h_A = 17 \cdot \tan(38^{\circ}) + 1.58 \] Calculating this gives approximately \( h_A \approx 17 \cdot 0.7813 + 1.58 \approx 16.78 + 1.58 \approx 18.36 \) meters. Now, for point \( B \) (the top of the antenna): \[ h_B = d \cdot \tan(\theta_B) + h_{eyes} \] where \( \theta_B = 53^{\circ} \). \[ h_B = 17 \cdot \tan(53^{\circ}) + 1.58 \] Calculating this gives approximately \( h_B \approx 17 \cdot 1.3270 + 1.58 \approx 22.55 + 1.58 \approx 24.13 \) meters. Finally, to find the height of the antenna (the distance from point \( A \) to point \( B \)): \[ h_{antenna} = h_B - h_A = 24.13 - 18.36 \approx 5.77 \] Rounding this to the nearest meter, the height of the antenna is approximately 6 meters!