A plane takes off at a 5 degree angle. When the plane is 650 feet above the ground, how far has it traveled along its flight path?
(I think I need some help figuring this problem out; story problems always give me trouble!)
Answers
Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
Okay, so this is actually quite difficult, I absolutely agree. But, I will try my best to tackle it :)
So visual the distance of the plane it traveled up, which is 650 feet. This is positioned as 5 degrees.
Hence, it goes up 650 feet (straight line). Then, it traveled already 5 degrees. So we have a right-angled triangle!
Hence, I did 650 x 5 = 3250. Why? Because I wanted to know the hypotenuse length value, therefore I repeated the 650 until it matched the 5 degrees, so I repeated 650 5 times.
Now, I found two side lengths, I can just find the third length using the Pythagorean theorem.
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
650^2 + b^2 = 3250^2
422500 + b^2 = 10562500
b^2 = 10562500 - 422500
b^2 = 10140000
b = 3184
Hence, the plane traveled 3184 feet! I recommend that you check this answer with your tutor or teacher. However, it feels quite reasonably right!
Hope this helps :)
