SOME APPLICATIONS OF TRIGONOMETRY

EXERCISE-9.1 [PAGE NO. 203-205] Sol.

P1. A circus artist is climbing a 20 m long
rope, which is tightly stretched and tied
from the top of a vertical pole to the
ground. Find the height of the pole, if
the angle made by the rope with the
ground level is 30 °.

Let AC was the original tree. Due to

Sol. It can be observed from the figure that storm, it was broken into two parts. The
broken part A'B is making 30° with
AB is the pole. the ground.
In ΔABC, In A'BC ,
BC
AB  tan 30
 sin 30 A 'C
AC
BC 1
AB 1 
 8 3
20 2
 8 
AB 
20
 10 BC   m
2  3
A 'C
 The height of the pole is 10 m.  cos30
A 'B
P2. A tree breaks due to storm and the 8 3
broken part bends so that the top of the 
A 'B 2
tree touches the ground making an
 16 
angle 30 ° with it. The distance between A 'B   m
the foot of the tree to the point where  3
Height of tree = A'B + BC
the top touches the ground is 8 m. Find
the height of the tree.
[96]
Some Applications of Trigonometry [97]

 16 8  24 In ΔPQR,
  m  m PQ
 3 3 3  sin 60
PR
 8 3m
3 3
Hence, the height of the tree is 8 3m . 
PR 2
P3. A contractor plans to install two slides
6
for the children to play in a park. For PR   2 3m
the children below the age of 5 years, 3
she prefers to have a slide whose top is Therefore, the lengths of these slides
at a height of 1.5 m, and is inclined at are 3 m and 2 3m .
an angle of 30 ° to the ground, where as P4. The angle of elevation of the top of a
for the elder children she wants to have tower from a point on the ground,
a steep side at a height of 3 m, and which is 30 m away from the foot of the
inclined at an angle of 60 ° to the tower is 30°. Find the height of the
ground. What should be the length of tower.
the slide in each case? Sol.
Sol. It can be observed that AC and PR are
the slides for younger and elder
children respectively.

Let AB be the tower and the angle of

elevation from point C (on ground) is
30°.
In ΔABC, In ΔABC,
AB AB
 sin 30  tan 30
AC BC
1.5 1 AB 1
 
AC 2 30 3
AC  3 m 30
AB   10 3m
3
Therefore, the height of the tower is
10 3m .
P5. A kite is flying at a height of 60 m
above the ground. The string attached
to the kite is temporarily tied to a point
on the ground. The inclination of the
string with the ground is 60°. Find the
length of the string, assuming that there
is no slack in the string.
[98] Mathematics [X]

Sol. 57
= (30 − 1.5) m = 28.5 m = m
2
In ΔPAR,
PR
 tan 30
AR
57 1

2AR 3
 57 
AR   3m
Let K be the kite and the string is tied  2 
to point P on the ground. In ΔPRB,
In ΔKLP, PR
 tan 60
KL BR
 sin 60
KP 57
 3
60 3 2BR

KP 2 57  19 3 
BR   m
KP 
120
 40 3m 2 3  2 
3 ST = AB
Hence, the length of the string is  57 3 19 3 
 AR  BR    m
2 
40 3m .
P6. A 1.5 m tall boy is standing at some  2
distance from a 30 m tall building. The  38 3 
angle of elevation from his eyes to the    m  19 3m
top of the building increases from 30°  2 
to 60° as he walks towards the building. Hence, he walked 19 3m towards the
Find the distance he walked towards the building.
building. P7. From a point on the ground, the angles
Sol. of elevation of the bottom and the top
of a transmission tower fixed at the top
of a 20 m high building are 45° and 60°
respectively. Find the height of the
tower.
Sol.

Let the boy was standing at point S

initially. He walked towards the
building and reached at point T.
It can be observed that Let BC be the building, AB be the
PR = PQ − RQ transmission tower, and D be the point
Some Applications of Trigonometry [99]

on the ground from where the elevation BC

angles are to be measured.  tan 40
CD
In ΔBCD,
BC
BC 1
 tan 45 CD
CD
BC  CD
20 In ΔACD,
1
CD AB  BC
CD  20m  tan 60
CD
In ΔACD, AB  BC
AC  3
 tan 60 BC
CD
1.6  BC  BC 3
AB  20
20
 3
BC  
3  1  1.6

AB  20 3  20 m  1.6   
3 1
BC 
 20  
3 1 m  3  1 3  1
1.6  3  1
Therefore, the height of the
transmission tower is 20  
3  1 m m. 
 3   1
2 2

P8. A statue, 1.6 m tall, stands on a top of

pedestal, from a point on the ground, 1.6  3  1
the angle of elevation of the top of   0.8  3  1
statue is 60° and from the same point 2
the angle of elevation of the top of the Therefore, the height of the pedestal is
pedestal is 45 °. Find the height of the
pedestal.
0.8  
3  1 m.

Sol. P9. The angle of elevation of the top of a

building from the foot of the tower is
30° and the angle of elevation of the top
of the tower from the foot of the
building is 60°. If the tower is 50 m
high, find the height of the building.
Sol.

Let AB be the statue, BC be the

pedestal, and D be the point on the
ground from where the elevation angles
are to be measured.
In ΔBCD,
[100] Mathematics [X]

Let AB be the building and CD be the AB

tower. BO 
3
In ΔCDB,
In ΔCDO,
CD
 tan 60 CD
BD  tan30
50 DO
 3 CD 1
BD 
50 80  BO 3
BD 
3 CD 3  80  BO
In ΔABD, AB
CD 3  80 
AB 3
 tan 30
BD AB
50 1 50 2 CD 3   80
AB     16 3
3 3 3 3 Since the poles are of equal heights,
Therefore, the height of the building is CD = AB
2
16 m .  1 
3 CD  3    80
P10. Two poles of equal heights are standing  3
opposite each other an either side of the  3 1
road, which is 80 m wide. From a point CD    80
 3 
between them on the road, the angles of
elevation of the top of the poles are 60° CD  20 3m
and 30º, respectively. Find the height of AB CD  20 3 
poles and the distance of the point from BO     m  20m
the poles. 3 3  3 
Sol. DO = BD − BO = (80 − 20) m = 60 m
Therefore, the height of poles is 20 3
and the point is 20 m and 60 m far from
these poles.
P11. A TV tower stands vertically on a bank
of a canal. From a point on the other
bank directly opposite the tower the
angle of elevation of the top of the
Let AB and CD be the poles and O is
tower is 60°. From another point 20 m
the point from where the elevation
angles are measured. away from this point on the line joining
In ΔABO, this point to the foot of the tower, the
AB angle of elevation of the top of the
 tan60
BO tower is 30°. Find the height of the
AB tower and the width of the canal.
 3
BO
Some Applications of Trigonometry [101]

P12. From the top of a 7 m high building, the

angle of elevation of the top of a cable
tower is 60° and the angle of depression
of its foot is 45°. Determine the height
of the tower.
Sol.

Sol. In ΔABC,
AB
 tan 60
BC
AB
 3
BC
AB
BC 
3
In ΔABD, Let AB be a building and CD be a cable
AB tower.
 tan 30 In ΔABD,
BD
AB
AB 1  tan45
 BD
BC  CD 3
7
AB 1 1
 BD
AB 3
 20 BD  7m
3 In ΔACE,
AB 3 1 AE = BD = 7 m
 CE
AB  20 3 3  tan60
AE
3AB  AB  20 3
CE
2AB  20 3  3
7
AB  10 3m CE  7 3m

BC 
AB  10 3 
   m  10m 
CD  CE  ED  7 3  7 m 
3  3 
Therefore, the height of the tower
7  
3 1 m
Therefore, the height of the cable tower
is 10 3 m and the width of the canal is is 7  
3 1 m .
10 m.
[102] Mathematics [X]

P13. As observed from the top of a 75 m

high lighthouse from the sea-level, the
angles of depression of two ships are
30° and 45°. If one ship is exactly
behind the other on the same side of the
lighthouse, find the distance between
the two ships.
Sol.

Sol.

Let AB be the lighthouse and the two

ships be at point C and D respectively.
In ΔABC,
AB
 tan 45 Let the initial position A of balloon
BC change to B after some time and CD be
75 the girl.
1
BC In ΔACE,
BC  75m AE
 tan 60
In ΔABD, CE
AB
 tan 30 AF  EF
 tan 60
BD CE
75

1 88.2  1.2
BC  CD
 3
3 CE
75 1 87 87
  3  CE   29 3m
75  CD 3 CE 3
75 3  75  CD  75  
3  1 m  CD In ΔBCG,
BG
Therefore, the distance between the two  tan 30
 
CG
ships is 75 3  1 m. 88.2  1.2 1

P14. A 1.2 m tall girl spots a balloon moving CG 3
with the wind in a horizontal line at a
87 3m  CG
height of 88.2 m from the ground. The
angle of elevation of the balloon from Distance travelled by balloon = EG =
the eyes of the girl at any instant is 60°. CG − CE
After some time, the angle of elevation 
 87 3  29 3 m
reduces to 30°. Find the distance
travelled by the balloon during the  58 3m
interval.
Some Applications of Trigonometry [103]

P15. A straight highway leads to the foot of Time taken by the car to travel distance
a tower. A man standing at the top of  2AB 
the tower observes a car as an angle of DC  i.e.,  = 6 seconds
depression of 30°, which is approaching  3 
the foot of the tower with a uniform Time taken by the car to travel distance
speed. Six seconds later, the angle of  AB  6 AB
DB  i.e.,   2AB 
depression of the car is found to be 60°.  3 3
Find the time taken by the car to reach 3
the foot of the tower from this point. 6
Sol.   3seconds
2
P16. The angles of elevation of the top of a
tower from two points at a distance of 4
m and 9 m. from the base of the tower
and in the same straight line with it are
complementary. Prove that the height
of the tower is 6 m.
Sol.

Let AB be the tower.

Initial position of the car is C, which
changes to D after six seconds.
In ΔADB,
AB
 tan 60
DB
AB
 3
DB
AB Let AQ be the tower and R, S are the
DB 
3 points 4m, 9m away from the base of
In ΔABC, the tower respectively.
The angles are complementary.
AB
 tan 30 Therefore, if one angle is θ, the other
BC will be 90 − θ.
AB

1 In ΔAQR,
BD  DC 3 AQ
 tan 
AB 3  BD  DC QR
AQ
AB 3 
AB
 DC  tan  ....  i 
3 4
In ΔAQS,
AB  1 
DC  AB 3   AB  3   AQ
 tan  90   
3  3 SQ
2AB
 AQ
 cot  ....  ii 
3 9
On multiplying equations (i) and (ii),
we obtain
[104] Mathematics [X]

 AQ  AQ 
     tan  .  cot  
 4  9 
AQ 2
1
36
AQ 2  36
AQ  36  6
However, height cannot be negative. Therefore, the height of the tower is 6 m.