In angles 31' means 31 minutes. And one degree is equal to 60 minutes, then 31' is 31/60 ° = 0.51667 °
That measure is too small if you use it you will obtain this result:
x = 500 ft * tan (31/60°) = 4.51 ft which is too little.
I will answer the problem using 31° instead of 31'.
This is answer and full explanation:
Answer: 300 ft.
Explanation:
You can form a right triangle with these features:
1) Base = adjacent-leg = 500 feet
2) angle between the hypotenuse and the base = 31°
3) Height = opposite-leg = height of the Statue of LIberty = x
Now, use the equation for the trigonometric ratio tangent:
tan(angle) = opposite-leg / adjacent-leg
=> tan (31°) = x / 500ft
=> x = 500ft * tan(31°)
x = 300.43 ft which rounded to the nearest foot is 300 ft.
