A 115 foot foot casts a 147 foot shadow, what is the degree of elevation to the sun
let the angle be x degrees
solve
tan x = 115/147 = 0.7823
x = arctan 0.7823
= ....
To calculate the degree of elevation to the sun, we can use the tangent function which relates the angle of elevation to the length of the shadow and height of the object.
The tangent of an angle in a right triangle is equal to the length of the side opposite the angle divided by the length of the side adjacent to the angle. In this case, the height of the object is the side opposite the angle, and the length of the shadow is the side adjacent to the angle.
So, we have:
Tangent(angle) = Opposite/Adjacent
In this case, the height of the object is 115 feet and the length of the shadow is 147 feet. Plugging these values into the equation, we get:
Tangent(angle) = 115/147
To find the angle itself, we need to take the arctangent (inverse tangent) of both sides of the equation:
Angle = Arctan(115/147)
Calculating this using a calculator or mathematical software, we find:
Angle ≈ 38.65 degrees
Therefore, the degree of elevation to the sun is approximately 38.65 degrees.