A walker moves 8km west then 6km north. Find the bearing of the endpoint from the start, in degrees clockwise from north, to one decimal place.
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Answer: 306.9
The acute reference angle is tan−1(68)≈53.1301023542∘. Locate the endpoint in its correct compass quadrant, then measure clockwise from north: 306.9∘.
Example 2
A point is 8m vertically above level ground and 7m horizontally from an observer. Find the angle of elevation to one decimal place.
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Answer: 48.8
tanθ= height/horizontal distance =78. Use inverse tangent in degrees.
Example 3
The angle of depression from a lookout to a boat is 30∘. Find the boat's angle of elevation to the lookout, in degrees.
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Answer: 30
The horizontal lines are parallel. Alternate interior angles give equal angles of depression and elevation.
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