Answer:
The distance to the top of the balloon is approximately 33.977 meters
Step-by-step explanation:
The (horizontal) distance from the hot air balloon from the observer, l = 30 m
The angle of elevation to the top of the balloon, θ = 28°
With the balloon standing upright, the distance to the top of the balloon, d, the height of the balloon, h and the horizontal distance to the balloon, l, form a right triangle, where;
d = The hypotenuse side
l = The leg adjacent to the reference (given) angle,
h = The leg opposite to the given angle, θ
By trigonometric ratios, we have;
[tex]cos\angle X = \dfrac{Adjacent\ leg \ length}{Hypotenuse \ length}[/tex]
From which we get;
[tex]cos\angle \theta = \dfrac{l}{d}[/tex]
[tex]cos(28^{\circ}) = \dfrac{30 \ m}{d}[/tex]
[tex]d = \dfrac{30 \ m}{cos(28^{\circ}) } \approx 33.977 \, m[/tex]
The distance to the top of the balloon, d ≈ 33.977 m
