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Height and Distance Trigonometry Guide

The document explains key concepts related to height and distance, including line of sight, angle of elevation, and angle of depression, along with their relationships. It provides basic trigonometric ratios and guidelines on which ratio to use based on the given information. Two worked examples illustrate how to calculate distances using angles of elevation and depression in right-angled triangles.

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8 views4 pages

Height and Distance Trigonometry Guide

The document explains key concepts related to height and distance, including line of sight, angle of elevation, and angle of depression, along with their relationships. It provides basic trigonometric ratios and guidelines on which ratio to use based on the given information. Two worked examples illustrate how to calculate distances using angles of elevation and depression in right-angled triangles.

Uploaded by

testvk525
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Height and Distance — Worked Examples

Key Concepts (Simple Explanations)


Line of Sight: The straight line from your eyes to the point you are looking at.
Angle of Elevation: The angle between the horizontal ground and your line of sight
when you look upwards.
Angle of Depression: The angle between the horizontal at the top and the line of sight
when you look downwards.
Important fact: Angle of depression from the top = Angle of elevation from the ground.

Trigonometric Ratios (Basics)


In a right-angled triangle:
sin θ = Opposite / Hypotenuse
cos θ = Adjacent / Hypotenuse
tan θ = Opposite / Adjacent

Which one to use:


- Use tan when you have height and need ground distance (or vice versa).
- Use sin when you have height and slanted distance.
- Use cos when you have horizontal distance and slanted distance.

Example 1 — Tower 30 m, Angle of Elevation 60°


A tower is 30 m high. A man standing on level ground observes the top of the tower at an
angle of elevation of 60°.
Find how far the man is from the foot of the tower.

Solution:
Let the distance from the man to the foot of the tower be x.
In right triangle ABC,
tan 60° = Opposite / Adjacent = 30 / x
⇒ x = 30 / tan 60° = 30 / √3 = 17.32 m

Therefore, the man is 17.32 m away from the foot of the tower.
Example 2 — Tower 100 m, Angle of Depression 36°
From the top of a 100 m tower, a guard observes a prisoner on the ground at an angle of
depression of 36°.
Find how far the prisoner is from the foot of the tower.

Solution:
Angle of depression = angle of elevation = 36°.
tan 36° = Opposite / Adjacent = 100 / x
⇒ x = 100 / tan 36° = 137.64 m

Therefore, the prisoner is 137.64 m away from the foot of the tower.
Formula Chart (Quick Summary)
Trigonometric Ratios:
sin θ = Opposite / Hypotenuse
cos θ = Adjacent / Hypotenuse
tan θ = Opposite / Adjacent

Useful Forms:
- Height = Distance × tan θ
- Distance = Height / tan θ
- If slanted line (hypotenuse) known:
Height = Hypotenuse × sin θ
Distance = Hypotenuse × cos θ

Angles:
- Angle of elevation: looking up
- Angle of depression: looking down

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