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A pilot is flying over the ocean. She determines that the angles of depression to two
ships are 70 and 50, as shown in the figure below. The plane is 6 miles from the
ship located at point A. How far apart are the ships? Round your answer to the
nearest tenth of a mile.
50 70
6 mi
A B
C
50 70
b = 6 a
A c B
This means that the alternate interior angles have equal measure.
So A = 50 and B = 70, as shown below.
C
50 70
b = 6 a
50 70
A c B
Since the sum of the angle measures in a triangle is 180, we can find the angle
(angle A C B).
= 180 A + B
= 180 50 + 70
= 60
Using the Law of Sines, we can find c, the distance between the ships.
sin sin B
=
c b
b sin
c =
sin B
6 sin 60
=
sin 70
5.5
5.5 miles
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