Comprehension
Elevated water storage tanks are built to store and supply water to nearby colonies. In the diagram given above, AB is an elevated water tank and CD is a nearby multistorey building. The building is 54 metres away from the water tank. From a window (W ) of the building, the angle of elevation of top of the tank is 45◦ and angle of depression of its foot is 30◦.
Question: 1

Write a relation between \(d\) (the height of window) and \(y\).

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In a \(30^{\circ}-60^{\circ}-90^{\circ}\) triangle, the side opposite to the \(30^{\circ}\) angle is always half the length of the hypotenuse.
Updated On: Feb 20, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
In the given diagram, the window is at point \(W\).
The distance \(AX\) represents the height of the window \(d\) from the ground (assuming \(A\) is the foot of the tank tower on the ground).
Triangle \(\triangle AWX\) is a right-angled triangle where \(AW = y\) is the hypotenuse and \(AX = d\) is the opposite side to the angle of depression of \(30^{\circ}\).
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
We use the trigonometric ratio of sine:
\[ \sin \theta = \frac{\text{Opposite}}{\text{Hypotenuse}} \]
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
In right-angled triangle \(\triangle AWX\):
The angle of depression is \(30^{\circ}\), so \(\angle AWX = 30^{\circ}\).
\[ \sin 30^{\circ} = \frac{AX}{AW} \]
Substituting the given values:
\[ \frac{1}{2} = \frac{d}{y} \]
Rearranging to find the relation:
\[ y = 2d \]
Step 4: Final Answer:
The relation between \(d\) and \(y\) is \(y = 2d\).
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Question: 2

Determine the value of \(h\).

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Whenever the angle of elevation or depression is \(45^{\circ}\), the height (opposite) is always equal to the horizontal distance (adjacent).
Updated On: Feb 20, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The value \(h\) represents the height of the upper part of the water tank tower (\(BX\)) relative to the horizontal line of sight from the window \(W\).
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
We use the trigonometric ratio of tangent in \(\triangle BWX\):
\[ \tan \theta = \frac{\text{Opposite}}{\text{Adjacent}} \]
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
In right-angled triangle \(\triangle BWX\):
The angle of elevation is \(45^{\circ}\), and the horizontal distance \(XW\) is equal to the distance between the building and the tank, which is 54 m.
\[ \tan 45^{\circ} = \frac{BX}{XW} \]
Substituting the values:
\[ 1 = \frac{h}{54} \]
\[ h = 54 \text{ m} \]
Step 4: Final Answer:
The value of \(h\) is 54 m.
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Question: 3

Determine height of the water tank.

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Always rationalize the denominator when dealing with surds like \(\sqrt{3}\) to make further additions easier.
Updated On: Feb 20, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The total height of the water tank is the sum of the portions above and below the horizontal level of the window, i.e., \(AB = BX + XA = h + d\).
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
We find \(d\) using the tangent ratio in \(\triangle AWX\):
\[ \tan \theta = \frac{\text{Opposite}}{\text{Adjacent}} \]
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
From part (ii), we know \(h = 54\) m.
In right-angled triangle \(\triangle AWX\):
\[ \tan 30^{\circ} = \frac{AX}{XW} = \frac{d}{54} \]
\[ \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} = \frac{d}{54} \]
\[ d = \frac{54}{\sqrt{3}} = \frac{54 \times \sqrt{3}}{3} = 18\sqrt{3} \text{ m} \]
Approximate value of \(d \approx 18 \times 1.732 = 31.176\) m.
Total height \(AB = h + d = 54 + 18\sqrt{3}\) m.
Total height \(\approx 54 + 31.18 = 85.18 \text{ m}\).
Step 4: Final Answer:
The height of the water tank is \(54 + 18\sqrt{3}\) m.
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Question: 4

Find the value of \(x\) and height of the window above ground level.

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For an isosceles right triangle (\(45^{\circ}\) triangle), the hypotenuse is always \(\sqrt{2}\) times the side length.
Updated On: Feb 20, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The value \(x\) is the line-of-sight distance from the window to the top of the tank (\(BW\)).
The height of the window above ground level is the distance \(AX = d\).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Finding \(x\):
In right-angled triangle \(\triangle BWX\):
\[ \cos 45^{\circ} = \frac{XW}{BW} = \frac{54}{x} \]
\[ \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} = \frac{54}{x} \implies x = 54\sqrt{2} \text{ m} \]
2. Finding height of the window:
As calculated in part (iii)(a):
\[ \tan 30^{\circ} = \frac{d}{54} \implies d = 18\sqrt{3} \text{ m} \]
This \(d\) is the height of the window above ground level.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The value of \(x\) is \(54\sqrt{2}\) m and the height of the window is \(18\sqrt{3}\) m.
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