From the top of a 7 m high building, the angle of elevation of the top of a cable tower is 60° and the angle of depression of its foot is 45°. Determine the height of the tower.
The height of the tower is .
Explanation
The solution is derived by applying trigonometric ratios to the right triangles formed by the building and the tower. The context provided in the solution for Question 11 establishes the value , and the solution for the chimney problem establishes . Using these values, the distance between the building and the tower is found using the angle of depression, and subsequently, the additional height of the tower is found using the angle of elevation.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Define Variables. Let be the building of height and be the cable tower. Let the distance between the building and the tower be .
Step 2: Calculate Distance. In , the angle of depression to the foot of the tower is . Using , we write . Solving for , we get .
Step 3: Calculate Height Difference. Draw a perpendicular from to meeting at . In , the angle of elevation is . Using , we write . Solving for , we get .
Step 4: Calculate Total Height. The total height of the tower is . Since , we have .