The angle of elevation of the sun when the shadow of a pole $h$ meters high is $\sqrt{3}h$ meters long is:
1 mark
🔍 View Detailed Solution & Schema →

Question

The angle of elevation of the sun when the shadow of a pole $h$ meters high is $\sqrt{3}h$ meters long is:

Accepted Answer

Let the angle of elevation of the sun be $	heta$. The height of the pole (opposite side) is $h$ and the length of the shadow (adjacent side) is $\sqrt{3}h$. Therefore, $	an 	heta = \frac{	ext{Height}}{	ext{Length of shadow}} = \frac{h}{\sqrt{3}h} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$. Since $	an 30^\circ = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$, we get $	heta = 30^\circ$.

Applications of Trigonometry

❓ Sibling Questions in this Chapter