Subjects trigonometry

Angle Elevation

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Angle Elevation


1. Stating the problem: We have a light post 5 m tall casting a shadow of 9.3 m. We need to find the angle of elevation of the sun at that time, denoted as $\theta$, rounded to two decimal places. 2. Setup the relationship: The angle of elevation $\theta$ forms a right triangle with the light post as the opposite side and the shadow as the adjacent side. Using the tangent function, $$\tan\theta = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}} = \frac{5}{9.3}$$ 3. Calculating the angle: To find $\theta$, we take the arctangent (inverse tangent) of the ratio, $$\theta = \tan^{-1}\left(\frac{5}{9.3}\right)$$ 4. Using a calculator, $$\theta = \tan^{-1}(0.5376) \approx 28.26^\circ$$ 5. Final answer: The angle of elevation of the sun is approximately $$\boxed{28.26^\circ}$$