Two ships are spotted from the top of a 156 foot lighthouse. The first ship is at a 27 degree angle depression and the second ship is directly behind the first at a 7 degree angle of depression. Determine the distance between the two ships.
The distance from the lighthouse to the 1st ship is
tan(27)=156/Distance=.509525=156/Distance, so Distance=156/.509525=306 feet(approx.)
tan(7)=156/ Distance to the 2nd.ship=.12278456=156/Distance, so Distance=156/,12278456=1,270 feet(approx.)
So, the distance between the two ships is: 1,270 - 306=964 feet(approx.)
