At a time when the sun's rays make a 60 degree angle with the horizontal, how long is the shadow cast by a 6 foot man standing on flat ground?

Question

Basic concept

Answer 1

Draw a right triangle. The 60° angle is being formed by the ground and the hypotenuse. The man is the side opposite the 60° angle. So, you need to use the tan Ø= Opposite side/Adjacent side. Let x =the length of the man's shadow

tan 60 = 6/x    Multiply both sides by x.

x tan 60 = 6     Divide both sides by tan 60.

x = 6/1.7321

x = 3.5 feet