CHAPTER HEIGHT AND

DISTANCE

LINE OF SIGHT
INTRODUCTION line of vision iS a strarght line from our eye
or the
building. ree. The line of sight
of a tower.
Sometimes. we have to tind the height we are viewing
cannot measture to the object lift up
distance ofa ship, width ofariver, etc Though we
horizontal Irom
the eye. we have to

object is above the

theni easily, we can determine these by using trigonometric ratios. f the move through
In this process. our eye
angle t0) is called head to view the object.
In right triangle, side opposite given
a
to our
the angle of elev
ation ofthe object
is called irpotenuse (h) and
the
angle. This angle is called
porpendicular p, the longest side
an

adjacent side is called base (b). Then.

sint

COSe =
anu

tant
LE
Trigonometric table

0P 30 15 60 90 Fye Angle of elevation

horizontal from the eye. then we have to

Ifthe object is below the
to view the object. In this process,
Sin our
turn our head downwards
an angle. This angle is
called the angle of
eye move through
0
depression ofthe object.
COS
2
Angle of depression
an 0
Eye
Erample 1
In AABC. right angled at B, AB
BC and AC
=
12 cm and ZA 30° Find =

Line of
sigh
Solution: sigh
In AABC

BC 1
tan 30= -
AB 30A Ball

AB Example 2:
BC- BC=cm
3 =4y iem A ladder is placed along a wall of a house such that its upper

AB The foot of the ladder is

Similarly.cos30°
end is touching the top ofthe wall
of
AC 2 m away from the wall and the ladder is making an angle
heieht of the
60 with the level of the ground Determine the
AC-83
2 AC cm wal
 260 MATHEMATICAL SMILLS

Solution:
Solution:
Leth be the heught
in
of the wall n metres. Then,
right triangle ABC, we have (b)
AB h
BC 2lan 60° =

n 2/3 5m 9 m
Thus, the height of the wall is 2/3
or 346 mapproximately
m
60
Example 3: D

A tower is
AB AEisthe ladder 15m
200/3 m high. Find the angle of elevation of its B is the window A is the foot of the ladder
top from a point 200 m away from its foot. CD is the width of the street.
Solution: Window is at a height of 12 m.
Let8 be the Also ED 12 m
angle of elevation and PQ be the length of tower
Widta of the street = AD +AC
- 200/3m
NOw tron triangle BAC and EAD, we have
AC?92=1s and AD? 122 =15
In APQR AC 12 and AD =9
From (1) we get, Width ofthestreet= 2| metres.

tan 9 PQ 200,3 A 2003 Example 6 :

QR 200 A man is watching from the top of a tower a boat speeding
t a n 8= tan 60° away from the tower. The boat makes an angle ofdepression
060° 200 of45° with the man's eye, when it is ata distance of 60
inetres from the tower. After 5 seconds, the ang!e o
depression becomes 30°. What is the approximate speed ot
Example 4: the boat, assuming that is running in still water t
From the top of a cliff200m high, the angles of
two
depressionef
boats which are due south of observer are 60° and
(a) 32 kmph (b) 36 kmph
30 (c) 38 kmph d) 40 kmph
Find the distance between the two boats. Solutton:
Solutlon: (a)
Let PQ, the height of a cliff= 200 m.

200m
A30 A60°
B
AEY>Q
X 30° 45
InaPQB, tan 30°200 x = 200 3
x 3 60 m
From As ABCA and ABDA
InAAPQ. tan 60°=
BA BA
200 tan 45° and tan 30°
60+x

Distance between the two boats =

BQ-AQ 60 (60+X)
2005 0 60+x= V3x60 *= 60(V3-1)
3
-231 m(approx) The distance of 60(/3 -1) meters is covered
Example 5 by the boat in 5 seconds.
A ladder 15 m long reaches awindow which is 9 m above the Speed of the boat per hour(in km).
ground on one side of a street. Keeping its foot at the same
point, the ladder is turned to other side of the street to reach 60(3-1) 3600
a window 12 m
high. Find the width of the street. 1000
(a) 1Sm b) 21m
(c) 18m (d) 13m 5-1)o7) -32kmh
HeGT AND
Dis tANCU 261
ample these stations prove that ins inclination 9 to the horizontal is
I he angular clevatlon ofs tower CD nt a place A due south of
bcut a act
is 60, and at a place ) due west of A, the elevation is 0 iven by cot0 b-
ITAB Jkm, find the height of the tower
Soluton: Sotlon t
Let CD,A and B represent the leaning tower and the two given
Let h be the height of the t
CD points
ower
Referring to l'ig.
We have 2 CAD 60",
CBD 30° and AB Jkm
B is due west
since
of Aand A is 0
due south ofthe tower CD, we
have BAC 90 nowfrom
rght- angled triangle ACD,
we
pet AC hcot60°- h.(/3, and from mght-angledtr
angleBCD,we get BC hcot 30"
Thercfore, from right-angled trian:le 1BAC, we havc

B ABAc (h =1
AC a, BC b
3h=94
DCM 0, 2 DAM= a, 2 DBM =
Let DM- h and CM x.

DM
In ADCM, CM tan 9
CM
Example 8:
A tower AB leans towards west making an angle a with the t a n x =h cot0
vertical. The angular elevation of B, the top most point ofthe
tower, is P, as observed from a point C due cast of Aat adis
DM
tance d from A. Ifthe angular elevation of B from a point due In A DAM, tan a
cast of C is at a distance 2d form C is y Find the relationbe AM
tween a,p,y.
tan a a+x=hcot a.
a+X

a=h cota -x=h cot a-h cot 8 2)

a=h (cot a -cot ) From eq. (1))
DM
W d In ADBM, tan btx=hcot
BM

b=hcot p-x =hcotß-hcot8

Solution: b=h(cot-cot0) From.eq (0)) (3)
Bym-ntheoremat C(d+ 2d) cot = d cot y -2 d cot (90+ a)

3d cot dcoty +2d tan a h(cota-cot 8)

Dividing eq. (2) by (3), we getbh (cot -cot)
3 cot p coty+ 2 tan a
2 tana 3 cot -coty a cot- acot 6 = bcot a-bcot8
Example 9:
Two stations due south of a leaning tower, which leans to- (b-a)cot 0= bcota -a cot
wards the north, are at distances a and b from its foot. If a and
Cot
a cotB
are the angles of elevations of the top of the tower from b-a
M-262
MATHEMATICAL SKILIS
Example 10:
Eumpte I1
There small island in the middle of a l00m
is a
wide rIver and nere ren tosers Tnd [, Is twiceastallas ihefe
atall ree stands on the island Pand Qure points directly each ie hte ien ne each sitng on the roof of T and Ihe ria
other on the two banks. and in line with the tree I the
of elevation of the top of angie l he n onIyand theone on I looks J
e

tihe tree from P and Qare respectively man on

30" and foot a f h um ol the angles of depression of thie
45°. ind the height of the tree ndthat n y , 90 find the height ofthetaller tower
Solution:
is 100 m
Let the the ditance betw en the foot of the two towers
height of the tree be h ie, AT h
b) 100m
(C) 2001 (d) Data insufficient

Solution
Lei a and B be ibhe angles of depression of the men on I; and

spectively

U+-90

B
In &PAT, tan45- h=x

1h 100m C
In AQAT, tan 30° =
100- 100-x
Now,a- p=90
3h 100- h (N3+1)h=100 a=p 45.as tne
100 AT,AT and ABAT are
h
3+I 3- -ls0(3-I) =36.6 m congruent right angled triangles.
SABT is an is0sceles right angled triangle
The height of the tree is 36.6 m
Hence TB=27,C 2BC=200 m

WEXERCISE
A tOwer is 4 A person standing on the bank ofa river finds that the angle
1003 metres high. Find the angle of elevation
of elevation of the top of a tower on the opposite bank is
ofits top from a point 100 metres away from its foot.
45. Which of the following statements is correct?
(a) 40P (b) S0° (a) Breadth of the river is twice the height of the tower.
(c) 60 (d) 70
b) Breadth of the river is half of the height of the tower.
2 The angle of elevation of the sun ( sun's attitudes) when the
c) Breadth of the river and the height of the tower are the
length of shadow of a vertical pole is equal to its height is
Same.
(a) 30 (b) 4509 (d) None of these
(c) 60 (d) None of these
A person observed the angle of elevation of the top of a
An observer l6 tall
m IS
203 m away from atower. The tower is 30. He walked 40 m towards the foot of the tower
angle of elevation from his eye to the top of the tower is 30° along level ground and found the angle of elevation of the
The height of the tower is top of the tower as 60° Find the height of tower.
(a) 216m (b) 232m (a) 3Sm (b) 30m
(c) 24.72 m (d) None of these (c) 25 m (d) 20m