Step 1: Understand the geometry of the problem.
From the passage, we know that the point O is 36 meters away from the base C of the tower. The angle of elevation to station B is 30º.
Let's denote the height of station B as \( h_B \). The situation forms a right-angled triangle, where:
- The base of the triangle is the distance from O to C, which is 36 m.
- The angle of elevation to the top of station B is 30º.
Step 2: Use the tangent function to find the height of station B.
In a right-angled triangle, the tangent of an angle is given by:
$$ \tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}} $$
Here, the opposite side is the height of station B (\( h_B \)) and the adjacent side is the distance from point O to point C (36 m). Therefore:
$$ \tan(30^\circ) = \frac{h_B}{36} $$
We know that \( \tan(30^\circ) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \), so:
$$ \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} = \frac{h_B}{36} $$
Multiply both sides by 36:
$$ h_B = \frac{36}{\sqrt{3}} $$
Rationalizing the denominator:
$$ h_B = \frac{36 \times \sqrt{3}}{3} = 12 \times \sqrt{3} $$
Step 3: Calculate the height.
Using \( \sqrt{3} \approx 1.732 \), we get:
$$ h_B = 12 \times 1.732 = 20.784 \text{ meters} $$
Step 4: Conclusion.
The height of station B is approximately \( 20.78 \) meters.