# Thread: help with trig problems!!!

1. ## help with trig problems!!!

Can someone help me with this problem

1.From a 35 meter high window , the angle of depression to the top of a nearby streetlight is 55*. The angle of depression to the base of the streetlight is 57.8*. how high is the streetlight?

so far the only result I have come up with is 2.46 m, which is wrong! please don't use either law of sines or law of cosines to solve this problem ! Thanks

2. Originally Posted by vance
Can someone help me with these problems;

1.From a 35 meter high window , the angle of depression to the top of a nearby streetlight is 55*. The angle of depression to the base of the streetlight is 57.8*. how high is the streetlight?

so far the only result I have come up with is 2.46 m, which is wrong! please don't use either law of sines or law of cosines to solve this problem ! Thanks

1. hope you made a sketch ...

let h = height of the light

x = horizontal distance to the light

using right triangles ...

$\tan(55) = \frac{35-h}{x}$

$\tan(57.8) = \frac{35}{x}$

solve the system of equations for h