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Physics 211, Quiz 1A

Question 1:

As you drive to St. Louis, you see in the distance the famous St. Louis Arch. Its peak is about 2 degrees above the horizon.

The Arch has a height of 192 meters.

How far are you from the base of the arch?

  Answer: If you draw a picture of the situation, you will see

                                        192 m
                tan (2 degrees) = ------------------
                                  distance from base

          Solving for the distance from the base,

                                      192 m 
                  distance      =  -----------
                                     0.0349

                                =  5500 m

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.