Help please

Question

Two missile silos are taking aim at a stationary target in the sky with powerful rockets that shoot in a straight line. The missile silos are shooting from the left and the right of the stationary target. Assuming the target is 2.5 miles high and the silos launch angles are 30 and 45 degrees. {Part one} What is the distance between the missile silos?

 

After the missiles were launched the target decided to move and is hover at a new altitude of 5 miles directly above one of the missile silos. {Part two} What are the new launch angles for the missile silos?

Answer 1

Hi Jay

Let X = Distance between silos

X = X1 + X2

 

D= 2.5 miles

X1 = 2.5/ tan 30

 and X2 = 2.5/ tan 45

X = (2.5/tan30) + (2.5/tan45)

tan 30 = 0.577 and tan45 =1

for D= 7.5 miles 

tan (theta 1) =( 7.5/ X1 ) and tan( theta 2) = (7.5/ X2)

theta 1 and theta 2 are new launching angles