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Right Triangle Trig Word Problems

This document contains 14 word problems involving right triangles and trigonometry. The problems involve calculating unknown side lengths, angles, heights or distances given information about angles of elevation, depression or two known sides of right triangles formed in various real world scenarios. The scenarios include flagpoles, trees, airplanes, hikers avoiding a briar patch, distances between lookout stations and a fire, distances between lighthouses and a ship, measuring the length of an island from a balloon, measuring heights of trees and hills using elevation angles, distances between parked cars from above, and calculating the horizontal distance of a fly from a wall.

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Shahani Dakay Dublin
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2K views2 pages

Right Triangle Trig Word Problems

This document contains 14 word problems involving right triangles and trigonometry. The problems involve calculating unknown side lengths, angles, heights or distances given information about angles of elevation, depression or two known sides of right triangles formed in various real world scenarios. The scenarios include flagpoles, trees, airplanes, hikers avoiding a briar patch, distances between lookout stations and a fire, distances between lighthouses and a ship, measuring the length of an island from a balloon, measuring heights of trees and hills using elevation angles, distances between parked cars from above, and calculating the horizontal distance of a fly from a wall.

Uploaded by

Shahani Dakay Dublin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Flagpole Height Problem: Calculates the height of a flagpole given its shadow and the angle of the sun.
  • Cliff to Island Problem: Computes the length to an island based on the angles of depression from a cliff top.
  • Shadow Length Problem: Determines the angle of elevation of the sun based on a tree's shadow length.
  • Airplane Descent Problem: Finds the horizontal distance to the runway when given the angle of depression and cruising altitude.
  • Scout Height Measurement: Measures the height of a tree using a scout's angle of elevation observations.
  • Running Deer Path Problem: Solves the shortest distance across two hills using the angles of depression and elevation.
  • Parallel Road Problem: Determines the distance between parallels based on a flyover angle.
  • Balloonist Flying Problem: Assesses the height of a balloon using base angles from two observers.
  • Observation Deck Problem: Uses elevation angles to find the height of a building from a known distance.
  • Fly Horizontal Distance Problem: Calculates the horizontal distance a fly travels based on angle of depression and initial distance.

Right Triangle Trig Word Problems Name______________

1. A flagpole casts a 42-foot shadow. If the angle of elevation of the sun is 57.4, what is the height of the
flagpole?

2. A 37-foot tree casts a 27-foot shadow. What is the angle of elevation of the sun?

3. An airplane is flying at 4000 feet above the ground. If the angle of depression from the airplane to the
beginning of the runway is 5.4, what is the horizontal distance to the nearest tenth of a mile of the airplane to
the beginning of the runway?

4. A group of Boy Scouts on a straight trail headed N30.6 E found the trail led through a briar patch. They
chose to walk 156 meters due east along the south edge of the briar patch, then due north along the east edge
of the patch back to the trail. How much farther did they walk to avoid walking through the briar patch?

5. In the San Gabriel Mountains in California, lookout station Running Deer is 18 kilometers due west of station
Lazy Bear. The bearing from Running Deer to a fire directly south of Lazy Bear is S38.4E. To the nearest
tenth of a kilometer, how far is the fire from Running Deer? From Lazy Bear?

6. A ship is 15 miles due west of lighthouse A on the island of Hawaii. If lighthouse B is 6.2 miles due south of
lighthouse A, what is the bearing to the nearest tenth of a degree of the ship from lighthouse B? To the nearest
tenth of a mile, how far is the ship from lighthouse B?

7. A balloon flying at 3000 feet above the ocean measures the angles of depression of each end of an island
directly in front of the balloon to be 75.8 and 15.6. What is the length of the island to the nearest tenth of a
mile?

8. To measure the height of a tree, a surveyor walked a short distance from the tree and found the angle of
elevation to be 43.9, then walked 20 feet farther and measured the angle of elevation to be 37.6. Find the
height of the tree.
9. An observer standing on a cliff 320 feet above the ocean measured angles of depression of the near and far
sides of an island to be 16.5 and 10.5 respectively. How long is the island to the nearest foot?

10. Two observers, 7220 feet apart, observe a balloonist flying overhead between them. Their measures of the
angles of elevation at 3:30pm are 35.6 and 58.2 respectively. What is the height of the balloonist above the
ground?

11. An observer stands 120 feet away from a church and measures the angles of elevation of the top and bottom of
the steeple to be 24.4 and 18.2 respectively. What is the height of the steeple to the nearest foot?

12. A 40-foot flagpole stands on the top of a hill. To measure the height of the hill, a surveyor standing at the base
of the hill finds the measure of the angles of elevation of the top and bottom of the flagpole to be 49.7 and
39.3 respectively. Find the height of the hill to the nearest foot.

13. A blimp is flying parallel to a road and is 2460 feet directly above it. The angles of depression of two parked
cars on the road are 34.9 and 26.5. TO the nearest foot, how far apart are the parked cars? (Note: The blimp
is above a line between the parked cars.)

14. A fly, buzzing about the room, calculates the angle of depression of the base of an 8-foot wall is 33.7 and the
angle of elevation of the top of the wall is 12.5. Find to the nearest foot the horizontal distance the fly is from
the wall.

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