From the top of a cliff 300 feet high, the angle of depression to a boat measures 42°. How far from the base of the cliff is the boat?

Answer 1

This can be solved by making an appropriate sketch and noting that tan42=300/d, where d is the distance from

the base of the cliff to the boat. Then, tan42=0.900, so d=300/0.900 or close to 333 feet.