Question

Please help...A utility pole is 35 ft tall. The pole creates a 50 ft shadow. What is the angle of elevation of the sun? Round your answer to the nearest degree. Show your work.

Answer 1

35°

Explanation:

The mnemonic SOH CAH TOA reminds you of the relationship between trig functions and sides of a right triangle. The pole and its shadow form the legs of the right triangle with the side adjacent to the angle of elevation being the shadow. "TOA" tells you ...

Tan = Opposite/Adjacent

tan(elevation angle) = (pole height)/(shadow length)

tan(elevation angle) = 35/50 = 0.7

The inverse tangent function, arctan( ) or tan⁻¹( ), is used to find the angle from the value of its tangent.

elevation angle = arctan(0.7) ≈ 34.99° ≈ 35°