In mathematics, the angle of elevation is the angle between the horizontal line and the line of sight to an object above it, such as the top of a building or tree. You can find the angle of elevation without a calculator by using the known values of the two perpendicular legs of a right triangle and a tangent table. For example, if a person is standing 100 feet from a building, and the building is 65 feet tall, you can divide the vertical leg by the horizontal leg to find the angle of elevation.
Instructions
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1
Divide the vertical leg of the right triangle by the horizontal leg to find the ratio of opposite to adjacent sides. For example, divide 65 feet by 100 feet.
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2
Write down the inverse tangent of the problem. In this example, the inverse tangent is tan-1(0.65) because 65 / 100 = 65.
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3
Find the angle of elevation using a tangent and angle table, which you can find in the Resources section. The angle of elevation for this problem would be approximately 33 degrees.