Question

A drone is flying at a height of 100 m above the ground. It observes on its right two stationary cars on a highway at angles of depression 45° and 30°. On the basis of above information, answer the following questions: Find the distance between the two cars.

Hint:

To find the distance between two points, subtract their distances from the reference point.

Answer 1

The distance between the two cars is the difference between the distances of each car from the point directly below the drone. Thus, the distance \( d \) between the two cars is: \[ d = x_2 - x_1 = 100\sqrt{3} - 100 = 100(\sqrt{3} - 1) \approx 100(1.732 - 1) = 100 \times 0.732 = 73.2 \, \text{m}. \]