Maybe this will help:
The bottom of the flag pole is point A .
In every right triangle, tan(angle) = length of opposite side / length of adjacent side. So....
tan( 50° ) = 10 / JA Solve this equation for JA to get: JA = 10 / tan( 50° )
tan( 35° ) = 10 / SA Solve this equation for SA to get: SA = 10 / tan( 35° )
JS = JA + SA Plug in the values we just found for JA and SA .
JS = 10 / tan( 50° ) + 10 / tan( 35° )
JS ≈ 22.67 meters
------------------------------
when do you know when to divide tan or when to bring the opposite or adjacent over to multiple?
Think about this problem:
8 = 16 / x To solve for x , first multilply both sides by x .
8x = 16 Then divide both sides by 8 .
x = 2
Similarly....
tan x = 10 / D To solve for D , first multiply both sides by D .
D * tan x = 10 Then divide both sides by tan x .
D = 10 / tan x
Remember that tan x is just a number.