Real-World Modeling with Inverse Tangent

  • 10th Grade
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Cierra Henderson, MBA |
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Cierra is an educational consultant and curriculum developer who has worked with students in K-12 for a variety of subjects including English and Math as well as test prep. She specializes in one-on-one support for students especially those with learning differences. She holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a certificate in educational consulting from UC Irvine.
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| Attempts: 20 | Questions: 20 | Updated: Jan 22, 2026
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1) A 50 m tower casts a 72 m shadow. Find the sun's angle of elevation (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for angle of elevation:

tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 50 / 72

tan(θ) ≈ 0.6944

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.6944:

θ ≈ arctan(0.6944) ≈ 34.7°

So the sun’s angle of elevation is 34.7°.

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About This Quiz
Real-world Modeling With Inverse Tangent - Quiz

Connect mathematics to real-life scenarios involving slopes, elevations, and viewing angles. In this quiz, you will apply an inverse tangent to determine angles of elevation, depression, and incline in problems involving buildings, ramps, and landscapes. By the end, you can confidently model and interpret real-world angles using inverse tangent relationships.

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2) A kite is flying on 80 m of string held at ground level. If the angle of elevation is 40°, how high is the kite?

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for angle of elevation: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Here, the string is the adjacent side (80 m), and the height is the opposite side (h).

So: tan(40°) = h / 80

Solve for h by multiplying both sides by 80:

h = 80 tan(40°)

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3) A ship is 500 m from a 100 m cliff. Find the angle of elevation to the top of the cliff (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for angle of elevation: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

You need first substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 100 / 500

tan(θ) = 0.2

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.2:

θ ≈ arctan(0.2) ≈ 11.3°

So the angle of elevation is 11.3°.

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4) A 40 m building is viewed from 60 m away horizontally. Find the angle of elevation to its top (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for angle of elevation:

tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 40 / 60

tan(θ) = 0.6667

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.6667:

θ ≈ arctan(0.6667) ≈ 33.7°

So the angle of elevation is 33.7°.

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5) A radio tower is 28 m tall and its shadow is 45 m long. Find the sun's angle of elevation (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for the angle of elevation: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 28 / 45

tan(θ) ≈ 0.6222

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.6222:

θ ≈ arctan(0.6222) ≈ 31.0°

So the sun’s angle of elevation is 31.0°.

Submit

6) A lighthouse light is 40 m above water; the point where the beam hits is 180 m from the base. Find the angle of depression (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for the angle of depression:

tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 40 / 180

tan(θ) ≈ 0.2222

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.2222:

θ ≈ arctan(0.2222) ≈ 12.5°

So the angle of depression is 12.5°.

Submit

7) A 20 m flagpole casts a 28 m shadow. Find the sun's angle of elevation in degrees.

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for the angle of elevation: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Here, opposite = 20 m (flagpole height), adjacent = 28 m (shadow length)

So: tan(θ) = 20 / 28

Now take the inverse tangent:

θ = arctan(20/28) ≈ 35.8°

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8) A ship observes the top of a lighthouse at an angle of elevation of 8°. If the lighthouse is 40 m tall, how far is the ship from its base (to the nearest meter)?

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for angle of elevation: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Here,

opposite = 40 m (height of lighthouse)

adjacent = x (horizontal distance)

So:

tan(8°) = 40 / x

Solve for x:

x = 40 / tan(8°)

Evaluate the expression:

x ≈ 40 / 0.1405 ≈ 284.7

Rounded to the nearest meter: x ≈ 285 m

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9) A tree casts a 25 m shadow when the sun's elevation is 36°. Find the tree's height to the nearest meter.

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio:

tan(36°) = height / 25

So,

height = 25 · tan(36°)

Now compute tan(36°):

tan(36°) ≈ 0.7265

Multiply:

height ≈ 25 × 0.7265

height ≈ 18.16 m

Round to the nearest meter:

height ≈ 18 m

Submit

10) A track rises 25 m over 40 m horizontally. Find the slope angle (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for the slope angle: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

First, substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 25 / 40

tan(θ) = 0.625

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.625:

θ ≈ arctan(0.625) ≈ 32.0°

So the slope angle is 32.0°.

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11) A skateboard ramp rises 0.9 m over 4.0 m horizontally. Find the incline angle (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for the incline angle: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 0.9 / 4.0

tan(θ) = 0.225

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.225:

θ ≈ arctan(0.225) ≈ 12.7°

So the incline angle is 12.7°.

Submit

12) From a 200 m cliff, the line of sight to the shore is a horizontal distance of 750 m. Find the angle of depression (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for the angle of depression:

tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 200 / 750

tan(θ) ≈ 0.2667

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.2667:

θ ≈ arctan(0.2667) ≈ 15.0°

So the angle of depression is 15.0°.

Submit

13) A wheelchair ramp rises 30 cm over a 3.6 m horizontal run. What is the angle of elevation to the nearest tenth of a degree?

Explanation

First convert the rise to meters so both measurements match: 30 cm = 0.30 m

Then, use the tangent ratio:

tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Next, substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 0.30 / 3.6

tan(θ) ≈ 0.0833

& Finally, find the angle whose tangent is 0.0833:

θ ≈ arctan(0.0833) ≈ 4.8°

So the angle of elevation is 4.8°.

Submit

14) A roof has pitch = 9 : 12 (rise : run). Find the roof angle to the nearest degree.

Explanation

The pitch ratio 9 : 12 means:

rise = 9

run = 12

Use the tangent ratio:

tan(θ) = rise / run

tan(θ) = 9 / 12

tan(θ) = 0.75

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.75:

θ ≈ arctan(0.75) ≈ 36.9°

Rounded to the nearest degree:

θ ≈ 37°

Submit

15) A hillside has a vertical rise of 15 m and a horizontal run of 90 m. Find the hill's angle of incline in degrees.

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for incline angle: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Then, substitute the rise and run:

tan(θ) = 15 / 90

tan(θ) = 1/6

Now, take the inverse tangent:

θ = arctan(1/6)

Computing this gives approximately 9.5°, which matches option B.

So the hill’s incline angle is about 9.5°.

Submit

16) A road rises 3 m for every 40 m of horizontal distance. Find the incline angle to the nearest tenth of a degree.

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for incline angle: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

First, substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 3 / 40

tan(θ) = 0.075

Now, find the angle whose tangent is 0.075:

θ ≈ arctan(0.075) ≈ 4.3°

So the incline angle is 4.3°.

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17) A camera is 60 m above a target and 130 m horizontally away. Find the angle of depression (nearest tenth).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for angle of depression: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values: tan(θ) = 60 / 130

Simplify the ratio:

tan(θ) ≈ 0.4615

Now find the angle whose tangent is 0.4615:

θ ≈ arctan(0.4615) ≈ 26.4°

So the angle of depression is 26.4°.

Submit

18) A camera on a drone points downward at an angle of 25° toward a target 60 m below. How far horizontally is the drone from the target?

Explanation

The angle of depression is 25°.

We use the tangent ratio:

tan(25°) = opposite / adjacent

Here, opposite = 60 m (vertical drop), adjacent = x (horizontal distance)

So, tan(25°) = 60 / x

Solve for x by dividing 60 by tan(25°):

x = 60 / tan(25°)

This gives the horizontal distance from the drone to the target.

Submit

19) A drone climbs 40 m while traveling 120 m horizontally. Find its climb angle in radians (principal range).

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio for climb angle:

tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Substitute the values:

tan(θ) = 40 / 120

tan(θ) = 1/3

Now express the angle using inverse tangent:

θ = arctan(1/3)

Numerically, arctan(1/3) ≈ 0.32 radians, which lies in the principal range (−π/2, π/2).

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20) A 12 m ladder leans against a wall. The foot is 5 m from the wall. Find the angle θ the ladder makes with the ground.

Explanation

Use the tangent ratio: tan(θ) = opposite / adjacent

Here, the opposite side is the height the ladder reaches on the wall (unknown),

and the adjacent side is the horizontal distance from the wall: 5 m.

But the ladder length (12 m) is the hypotenuse.

Instead, use tangent with the correct sides for the ground angle:

tan(θ) = ladder height / 5.

Find the height using the Pythagorean theorem:

height = √(12² − 5²) = √(144 − 25) = √119 ≈ 10.9

Now substitute into tangent:

tan(θ) = 10.9 / 5 = 2.18

This is the same as:

tan(θ) = 12 / 5 (ratio based on similar triangles)

So the correct expression for the angle is:

θ = arctan(12/5)

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Cierra Henderson |MBA |
K-12 Expert
Cierra is an educational consultant and curriculum developer who has worked with students in K-12 for a variety of subjects including English and Math as well as test prep. She specializes in one-on-one support for students especially those with learning differences. She holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a certificate in educational consulting from UC Irvine.
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A 50 m tower casts a 72 m shadow. Find the sun's angle of elevation...
A kite is flying on 80 m of string held at ground level. If the angle...
A ship is 500 m from a 100 m cliff. Find the angle of elevation to the...
A 40 m building is viewed from 60 m away horizontally. Find the angle...
A radio tower is 28 m tall and its shadow is 45 m long. Find the sun's...
A lighthouse light is 40 m above water; the point where the beam hits...
A 20 m flagpole casts a 28 m shadow. Find the sun's angle of elevation...
A ship observes the top of a lighthouse at an angle of elevation of...
A tree casts a 25 m shadow when the sun's elevation is 36°. Find...
A track rises 25 m over 40 m horizontally. Find the slope angle...
A skateboard ramp rises 0.9 m over 4.0 m horizontally. Find the...
From a 200 m cliff, the line of sight to the shore is a horizontal...
A wheelchair ramp rises 30 cm over a 3.6 m horizontal run. What is the...
A roof has pitch = 9 : 12 (rise : run). Find the roof angle to the...
A hillside has a vertical rise of 15 m and a horizontal run of 90 m....
A road rises 3 m for every 40 m of horizontal distance. Find the...
A camera is 60 m above a target and 130 m horizontally away. Find the...
A camera on a drone points downward at an angle of 25° toward a...
A drone climbs 40 m while traveling 120 m horizontally. Find its climb...
A 12 m ladder leans against a wall. The foot is 5 m from the wall....
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