angle of elevation: A golf ball sits 2 m from the hole....

[Mathisconfusing101]

How do I find the angle of elevation? For example:

A golf ball on a golf course sits 2 meters from the hole. The flag in the hole is 1.5 meters high. What is the angle of elevation?

I know I'm probably annoying all you smart people, but math is not my strong point. I generally do better with english and history.

 

[galactus]

Use the Law of Tangents.

 

[Mathisconfusing101]

i know i sound dumb here...

but what is the law of tangents? i am taking an online course... no teacher.. just me and the internet...

 

[jonboy]

Tangent is \(\displaystyle \(\frac{opp}{adj}\)\)
Cosine is \(\displaystyle \(\frac{adj}{hyp}\)\)
Sine is \(\displaystyle \(\frac{opp}{hyp}\)\)

 

[Mathisconfusing101]

Yay! I remember the "SOH-CAH-TOA" thing!

But how would I do the inverse of that? For instance:

A refrigerator has a width of 3 feet. The angle of elevation from the bottom corner to the opposite corner is 65 degrees. What is the height of the refrigerator?

 

[galactus]

Oh, OK.

tangent=opposite side divided by the adjacent side.

In this case, opp=1.5 and adj=2

\(\displaystyle \L\\tan({\theta})=\frac{1.5}{2}\)

You need \(\displaystyle \L\\{\theta}\):

\(\displaystyle \L\\{\theta}=tan^{-1}(\frac{1.5}{2})\)

Do you have a calculator?.

These are basic trig functions. Do you have a book to refer to. Of course, the web is vast.

 

[Mathisconfusing101]

Hmm... My calculator must have something wrong with it.

If the height of a refrigerator is 6 feet and the base is 3 feet, find the angle of elevation.

This would be "6 over 3", right? That gives me "2", but the answer choices are "67.43", 63.43", and "26.56".

 

[galactus]

Hmm... My calculator must have something wrong with it.

If the height of a refrigerator is 6 feet and the base is 3 feet, find the angle of elevation.

This would be "6 over 3", right? That gives me "2", but the answer choices are "67.43", 63.43", and "26.56".

\(\displaystyle \L\\cot^{-1}(\frac{1}{2})=90-tan^{-1}(\frac{1}{2})=?\)

Here's a picture of your previous fridge question. See what you can do to find x. OKey-doke?.

It's one of your choices.