If the angle of the sun is 34' and te sun is 92,919,800 miles away, what is the measure of the diameter of the sun?
Since the actual angle that the sun subtends is 0.53 degrees, you are going to get a v. large and different number (using 34 degrees).
You can use the Law of Sines or the Pythagorean Theorem (with certain assumptions).
Thanks for answering anon.
34' means 34 minutes and
1 minute is 1/60 of a degree so
34' = 3460=1730=0.5666666666666667 degrees
This is bigger than the google value but not as much bigger as you thought. :))
-------------------------------------------------
tan(17/60)=r/92919800
r=tan(17/60)*92919800
d=2*tan(17/60)*92919800
2×tan360∘(1760)×92919800=919002.8129689372
diameter of the sun = 9.19∗105miles
I could have used sin if I wanted to the answer would have been close enough to the same.
Effectively that is what anon beneath here has done. Only they did it using the sine rule. Makes no difference. :)
According to google it is 8.64∗105miles so my answer is ok.
I'm still holding out for the Law of Sines.
34' of arc means that the other angles of the triangle must be about 89.71 degrees.
Diametersin0.567=92919800sin89.71
I get 919532.
Approximating the distance to the edge of the sun is the same as the other (frontal) distance.