di.com/student/practice/678a8aa25b97dcb88cd3be41/class/66cf07a4da0259e398c043ad/uta/678f94d0e86d82059e550b6d/itemid/678a. g. Ratios) BOOKMARK 4 Q + \( \square \) BLAKE SINRAM 16 Kurt spots a bird sitting at the top of a 40ft tall telephone pole. If the angle of elevation from the ground where he is standing to the bird is \( 59^{\circ} \), how many feet is Kurt from the base of the pole?
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The Deep Dive
To find out how far Kurt is from the base of the pole, we can use trigonometric ratios, specifically the tangent function. The tangent of the angle of elevation (\(59^{\circ}\)) is equal to the opposite side (the height of the pole: 40 ft) divided by the adjacent side (the distance from Kurt to the pole). So, we use the formula: \[ \tan(59^{\circ}) = \frac{40}{d} \] Rearranging to solve for \(d\) (the distance from the pole): \[ d = \frac{40}{\tan(59^{\circ})} \] Calculating, you will find that Kurt is approximately 21.6 feet away from the base of the pole. Now, isn’t it fascinating how angles and distances come together through trigonometry? In real-world scenarios like these, this math allows us to find heights without ever having to climb! How cool is that?