a mall escalator rises 84 feet at a 35 degree angle. find the distance a person travels on the escalator stairs. round the answer two decimal places.

Question

I used the tan button on the calculator, but the answer im getting isn't making sense. Please help me with this problem.

Answer 1

You will have a right triangle where the angle between the base and hypothenuse is 35 degree and the opposite side of that angle is 84 feet.  

 

sin 35⁰ = opposite/hypothenuse

sin 35⁰ = 84 feet/hypothenuse

 

sin 35⁰ = 0.574

 

0.574 = 84 feet/hypothenuse

 

hypothenuse (distance person travels on the escalator stairs) = 84 feet/0.574

 

distance person travels = 146.34 feet