Unit 8 Lesson 4 Angle of Elevation
Unit 8 Lesson 4: Angle of Elevation
Lesson Overview
Angle of Elevation (or Depression)
What You Will Learn
- understanding the meaning of the angle of elevation as a line of sight from the standpoint of an object
Overview
Angles formed above and below horizontal lines have specific names. Suppose a person on the ground sees a hang glider at a 38-degree angle above a horizontal line. This angle is the angle of elevation.
At the same time, a person in the hang glider sees the person on the ground at a 38-degree angle below a horizontal line. This angle is the angle of depression. Notice that the elevation angle is congruent to the angle of depression because they are alternate interior angles.
In this lesson, you will show your learning by using angles of elevation and depression to solve problems.
Essential Understanding
You can use the angles of elevation and depression as the acute angles of right triangles formed by a horizontal distance and a vertical height.
This course is based on a textbook that is viewable by clicking on the textbook icon. Keep the textbook open while you go through the lesson so that you may refer to it throughout the lesson.
Lesson 4: Angle of Elevation
Resource Videos
Trigonometry: Find Angeles of Depression
Trigonometry: Find Angeles of Elevation
Proceed to the Next Page
Prepare for Application
Instructions
You have now studied Angle of Elevation. It is now time to demonstrate your learning.
Try the activities below on your own. You should be able to answer these before beginning the practice.
Create an extra journal called 'Unit 8: Lesson 4 activities' and do these in your journal.
For questions 1-2, use the diagram in problem one on page 376 of your online textbook. What is the description of the angle as it relates to the situation shown?
You see a rock climber on a cliff at a 32° elevation angle. Your eye level is 6 ft above the ground, and you are 1000 ft from the base of the cliff. What is the approximate height of the rock climber from the ground?
An airplane pilot sights a lift raft at a 26° angle of depression. The airplane's altitude is 3 km. What is the airplane's horizontal distance d from the raft?