What is the altitude of Miguel's drone above the ground if the drone is hovering 12 feet away from him and forms a 60-degree angle with the ground?
Final Answer: The altitude of the drone above the ground is approximately 10.39 feet.
Calculating the Altitude of the Drone
Miguel is operating a drone hovering 12 feet away from him, forming a 60-degree angle with the ground. To determine the altitude of the drone above the ground, we can utilize trigonometric principles, specifically the sine function.
Identifying the Known Values:
- Distance from Miguel to the drone (adjacent side): 12 feet
- Angle between the ground and the line connecting Miguel to the drone: 60 degrees
Applying Trigonometric Principles:
In a right triangle, the sine function relates the angle to the ratio of the length of the side opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In this scenario, the opposite side represents the altitude of the drone, and the hypotenuse is the distance from Miguel to the drone.
Using the Sine Function:
sin(60°) = Opposite / Hypotenuse
Solving for the altitude (Opposite):
Altitude = Hypotenuse * sin(60°)
Calculating the Altitude:
Altitude = 12 feet * sin(60°) ≈ 10.39 feet
This indicates that the altitude of Miguel's drone above the ground is approximately 10.39 feet.