Math  /  Trigonometry

QuestionThe Washington Monument is 555 ft tall. The angle of elevation from the end of the monument's shadow to the top of the monument has a cosecant of 1.10. a. θ=\theta= \square (Type your answer in degrees. Rou

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? We need to find the angle of elevation, θ\theta, at which someone would look up to see the top of the Washington Monument from the end of its shadow, knowing the monument's height and the cosecant of the angle. Watch out! Remember, the cosecant is related to the sine, not the cosine!
Don't mix them up!

STEP 2

1. Relate cosecant to sine
2. Calculate sine of theta
3. Find theta

STEP 3

Alright, let's **start** with what we know: the cosecant of θ\theta is **1.10**.
Remember that the cosecant of an angle is the reciprocal of its sine.
Mathematically, we can write this as: csc(θ)=1sin(θ) \csc(\theta) = \frac{1}{\sin(\theta)}

STEP 4

We're given that csc(θ)=1.10\csc(\theta) = \mathbf{1.10}, so let's plug that in: 1.10=1sin(θ) \mathbf{1.10} = \frac{1}{\sin(\theta)}

STEP 5

To find the sine of θ\theta, we need to isolate sin(θ)\sin(\theta).
We can do this by multiplying both sides of the equation by sin(θ)\sin(\theta) and then dividing both sides by **1.10**: sin(θ)1.10=1 \sin(\theta) \cdot \mathbf{1.10} = 1 sin(θ)=11.10 \sin(\theta) = \frac{1}{\mathbf{1.10}}

STEP 6

Now, let's **calculate** the value: sin(θ)0.9091 \sin(\theta) \approx \mathbf{0.9091}

STEP 7

Fantastic! We've got the sine of θ\theta.
Now, to find θ\theta itself, we'll use the arcsine function (also known as the inverse sine), which is written as sin1\sin^{-1}.
This function essentially "undoes" the sine function. θ=sin1(0.9091) \theta = \sin^{-1}(\mathbf{0.9091})

STEP 8

Using a calculator (make sure it's in degree mode!), we find: θ65.38 \theta \approx \mathbf{65.38^\circ}

STEP 9

The angle of elevation, θ\theta, is approximately 65.38\mathbf{65.38^\circ}.

Was this helpful?

Studdy solves anything!

banner

Start learning now

Download Studdy AI Tutor now. Learn with ease and get all help you need to be successful at school.

ParentsInfluencer programContactPolicyTerms
TwitterInstagramFacebookTikTokDiscord