A jet airplane (point J) is flying 6 miles high above point G on the surface of the earth. The pilot wants to know how far away the horizon is. From the diagram you can see that the needed distance is the length of segment JH. Assume the radius of the earth (EG) is 3960 miles.
Using either the Secant-Tangent theorem or the Pythagorean theorem, find the distance JH. Both methods will give the same answer.
Develop your answer in three parts. Show all your work. Five points for each part, for a total of 15 points.
Use the diagram above or make your own. Label all the dimensions you will use, and list the length of the segments you will use to solve the problem. Name the segments using the points given in the problem or assign single-letter variables and show them on your own diagram.
Show all your work to solve the problem using either the Secant-Tangent theorem or the Pythagorean theorem. Don’t skip any steps unless they can be done with mental math.
Give the value of the horizon distance you found using the above work. Give the distance to the nearest tenth of a mile. Be sure to list exactly one digit to the right of the decimal point.
**The image is at this link https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zL68az0_3hogW04nioUR8jevQ_Ad3S19zQQSwqEsUyw/edit
