Trigonometry (10th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321671775
ISBN 13: 978-0-32167-177-6

Chapter 2 - Acute Angles and Right Triangles - Section 2.5 Further Applications of Right Triangles - 2.5 Exercises - Page 84: 38

Answer

The minimum height is 1.95 miles.

Work Step by Step

Let $R$ be the Earth's radius. We can use the Pythagorean theorem to find $h$: $(R+h)^2 = R^2+(125~mi)^2$ $R+h = \sqrt{R^2+(125~mi)^2}$ $h = \sqrt{R^2+(125~mi)^2}-R$ $h = \sqrt{(4.00\times 10^3~mi)^2+(125~mi)^2}-(4.00\times 10^3~mi)$ $h = 1.95~mi$ The minimum height is 1.95 miles.
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