A plane is approaching  the airport. If the plane is approximately 985 meters above the ground and its angle of elevation measured from the airport is 21.5°, how far is it from the airport (ground distance) to the nearest meter?

To solve this problem, we can use the tangent of the angle of elevation, which is the ratio of the opposite side (height) to the adjacent side (ground distance) in a right triangle.

The formula for tangent is:

tan(θ) = opposite/adjacent

We know the angle of elevation (θ) is 21.5° and the height (opposite) is 985 meters. We want to find the ground distance (adjacent). So we can rearrange the formula to solve for the adjacent side:

adjacent = opposite/tan(θ)

Substituting the given values:

adjacent = 985/tan(21.5)

Now, calculate the tangent of 21.5 degrees and divide 985 by that number.

After calculating, you will find that the ground distance from the airport to the plane is approximately 2517 meters.

To solve this problem, we can use the tangent of the angle of elevation, which is the ratio of the opposite side (height) to the adjacent side (ground distance) in a right triangle.

The formula for tangent is:

tan(θ) = opposite/adjacent

We know the angle of elevation (θ) is 21.5° and the height (opposite) is 985 meters. We want to find the ground distance (adjacent). So we can rearrange the formula to solve for the adjacent side:

adjacent = opposite/tan(θ)

Substituting the given values:

adjacent = 985/tan(21.5°)

Using a calculator to find the tangent of 21.5° and divide 985 by that number, we get approximately 2515 meters.

So, the plane is approximately 2515 meters away from the airport on the ground.