# Finding an angle

• March 27th 2009, 04:30 PM
uhhuh
Finding an angle
Hi, I really do not understand this question, if you could please solve and explain it, I would greatly appreciate it!

Here it is:

A wire is stretched from the top of a 200 ft building to a point on the ground. (130 ft). What angle does the wire make the ground?

Thank you so much!
• March 27th 2009, 08:02 PM
Soroban
Hello, uhhuh!

Did you try to make a sketch?

Quote:

A wire is stretched from the top of a 200 ft building to a point on the ground
130 ft from the building. What angle does the wire make with the ground?

Code:

    A *       |\       | \       |  \       |  \   200 |    \       |    \       |      \       |      \       |      θ \     B * - - - - * C           130

$AB$ is the building: . $AB = 200$

The wire is stretched from $A$ to $C$: . $BC = 130$

We want: . $\theta \,=\,\angle ACB$

In right triangle $ABC\!:\;\;\tan\theta \:=\:\frac{200}{130}$

Therefore: . $\theta \;=\;\arctan\left(\tfrac{200}{130}\right) \:=\: 57.97613244 \;\approx\;58^o$