A vertical antenna has base . Points , , and lie on the same straight, level line in that order, and meters. The angles of elevation from and to the top of the antenna are acute complementary angles. The distance from to the top of the antenna is meters. Which choice gives the height of the antenna, in meters?
For two right triangles sharing a vertical height, first define the horizontal distance to the closer observation point. If the angles of elevation are complementary, use the fact that their tangent ratios are reciprocals to create a relationship between the height and the two horizontal distances. Then combine that relationship with the Pythagorean theorem from the triangle whose hypotenuse is given.
Hints
Label the unknown distance
Let represent the distance from the closer point to the antenna's base. Express the distance from to the base using .
Use tangent ratios
Write a tangent ratio for each angle of elevation in terms of the height , , and .
Use the angle relationship
For complementary acute angles, the tangent of one angle is the reciprocal of the tangent of the other. Use this to relate to the two horizontal distances.
Use the triangle with the given hypotenuse
Apply the Pythagorean theorem to the right triangle that starts at and has hypotenuse .
Desmos Guide
Use algebra for the trigonometric relationship
First use the complementary angles to derive . Algebra is the fastest way to establish this relationship.
Graph the distance equation
Enter and . Select the intersection with positive to find the distance from to the base.
Verify the height
Using the positive intersection value , enter to calculate the antenna height.
Step-by-step Explanation
Define the horizontal distances
Let be the distance from to . Since , , and are in that order and , the distance from to is .
Use the complementary angles
Let be the antenna height. The tangent of the angle at is , and the tangent of the angle at is . Because the angles are complementary, their tangents are reciprocals. Therefore, , so .
Apply the Pythagorean theorem
The triangle from to the top of the antenna has legs and and hypotenuse . Thus, . Substitute to get .
Find the height
Let . Then , so . This simplifies to , giving because a distance must be positive. Thus , and . Therefore, .