A plane is descending at a 12°
angle of depression. If the current altitude of the plane is 1,000 feet, find the distance the plane still needs to fly to reach the ground. Round the answer to the nearest foot.(1 point)
feet
The formula to find the distance the plane still needs to fly can be calculated using the tangent of a right triangle.
Tangent = Opposite / Adjacent
In this case, the opposite side is the distance the plane still needs to fly, the adjacent side is the altitude of the plane, and the angle of depression is 12°.
Distance = Altitude / Tan(angle)
Distance = 1000 / Tan(12°)
Distance ≈ 5033 feet
So, the plane still needs to fly approximately 5033 feet to reach the ground.