A 30 foot ladder is leaning against an office building. If the base of the ladder is 17 feet from the base of the building, find the angle of elevation. Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

cos(theta)= 17/30

theta = cos^-1(17/30) = 55.5 degrees

(if the 30 foot ladder had been 15 feet away, the angle would have been exactly 60 degrees. 17 is a little more than 15, so the angle is a little less than 60)