I need help on trigonometry

Question

a statue is mounted on top of a 16 foot hill. from the base of the hill to where your standing is 77 feet and the statue subtends an angle of 13.2 to here your standing. find the height of the statue

Answer 1

a statue is mounted on top of a 16 foot hill. from the base of the hill to where your you're standing is 77 feet and the statue subtends an angle of 13.2 to where you're standing. 

 

First, note the editing I did; you are can be written as the contraction you're -- but your is the possessive form of you.

This is one of the most common errors in English, and I advise you to take care because your writing creates an impression on others, and you should want the best impression possible.

 

Start by drawing a right triangle, with an acute angle of 13.2^o across from which there is a side (leg) of total height h+16, h being the unknown height of the statue, 16 being the height of the hill. The horizontal leg of the right triangle measures 77 ft.

 

tan 13.2 = (h+16)/77

Use calculator to get decimal value for left side of this equation; now multiply both sides of equation by 77; you now have a value for h+16.  So subtract 16, and you will have the statue's height, in ft.

 

In trig/geom problems, i advise you always to begin by drawing & labeling the figure described. Then what to do will become fairly clear.