Right Triangle Trig - Word Problems

A building 62 feet tall casts a shadow 21 meters long.  At what angle is the sun shining on the building?

• 19.80
• 18.71
• 70.20
• 71.29

Susan is flying a kite, which gets caught in the top of a tree.  Use the diagram to estimate the height of the tree. 

• 63 ft
• 65 ft
• 74 ft
• 87 ft

A piece of paper that Brittany has is 11 inches tall and 8 inches wide. She draws a straight line diagonally across the paper. How long is the line she drew?

• 7.5 in
• 12.4 in
• 13.6 in 
• 14.3 in

Example 2: Find, to the nearest degree, the angle which the sun's rays make with the ground when a flagpole 40 feet high casts a shadow 30 feet long.

• 48^o

• 37^o

• 28^o

• 53^o

A 16 foot ladder leans against a building.  If the angle the ladder makes with the ground is 68°, how high up the building does the ladder reach?

• 39.6
• 6.0
• 14.8
• 13.6

A hawk sitting on a tree branch spots a mouse on the ground 15 feet from the base of the tree.  The hawk swoops down toward the mouse at an angle of 30 degrees. What is the distance from the tree branch to the mouse? 

• 7.5 ft 
• 15 ft 
• 26 ft 
• 30 ft 

A yacht is anchored 90 feet offshore from the base of a lighthouse.  The angle of elevation from the boat to the top of the lighthouse is 26 degrees.  The distance between the yacht and the top of the lighthouse is about 100 feet.  Which of these is nearest to the height of the lighthouse? 

• 25 feet
• 45 feet 
• 110 feet 
• 135 feet 

A tourist views a deer from a height of 45 feet.  The horizontal distance between the tourist and the deer is 130 feet.  At what angle (x) should the tourist hold his camera to photograph the deer? Round your answer to the nearest degree.  

• 19 degrees
• 45 degrees
• 71 degrees
• 138 degrees 

The pilot of a traffic helicopter sights an accident at an angle of depression of 18 degrees.  The helicopter’s altitude is 1560 ft.  What is the horizontal distance from the helicopter to the accident? Round to the nearest foot.

• 543 ft
• 1756 ft
• 4801 ft
• 5404 ft

A ramp is being built next to a 4-inch high sidewalk. The ramp's angle of inclination is 10 degrees. Estimate the horizontal length of the ramp to the nearest tenth of an inch.