A bulldozer lumbers up a hill for 120m. Its instruments show that the hill has an angle of elevation of 38’10’. Find the vertical distance that the bulldozer has traveled and the horizontal distance that the bulldozer has traveled
r=120 theta=38' 10' vertical distance = y = r*sin(38' 10') horizontal distance = x = r*cos(38' 10') as a check: tan(38' 10') = y/x
The bulldozer goes over the long side of a triangle with a square angle. The angle between the base (horizontal plane) and the hillside is 38° 10' So you want to find the vertical distance : the opposite side of the 38° 10' angle. This equals 120. (sin(38° 10')). Look up the sin in a sinus table. The horizontal distance is 120 s(38° 10')). You can look this up also. Alternatively you can use the formula a^2 + b^2 = c^2 after you have calcultaed the vertical distance.
