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Question

A plane is observed to be approaching the airport. It is at a distance of 10 km from the point of observation and makes an angle of elevation of 67.5°. What is the height of the plane above the ground ?

This question was previously asked in
NDA 2 2026 GAT Question Paper (13-Sep-2026)
The correct answer is

\(5\sqrt{2+\sqrt{2}}\) km

To find the height of the plane above the ground given the angle of elevation and the distance from the point of observation, we'll use trigonometric relationships. In this scenario, the problem involves calculating the height of an object using the tangent of the angle of elevation.

Given:

  • Distance from the point of observation (horizontal distance) \( = 10 \text{ km} \)
  • Angle of elevation \( = 67.5^\circ \)

The tangent of an angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the opposite side (height of the object) to the adjacent side (horizontal distance). The formula is:

\(\tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}\)

In this problem, \(\theta = 67.5^\circ\), the opposite side is the height of the plane \( h \), and the adjacent side is the horizontal distance 10 km.

Thus, we have:

\(\tan(67.5^\circ) = \frac{h}{10}\)

To find the value of \(h\), rearrange the formula:

\(h = 10 \times \tan(67.5^\circ)\)

Let us calculate \(\tan(67.5^\circ)\). The angle \( 67.5^\circ \) is related to a known trigonometric identity:

\(\tan(67.5^\circ) = \tan\left(45^\circ + 22.5^\circ\right)\)

Using the tangent addition formula:

\(\tan(a + b) = \frac{\tan(a) + \tan(b)}{1 - \tan(a)\tan(b)}\)

For \(a = 45^\circ\) and \(b = 22.5^\circ\), knowing \(\tan(45^\circ) = 1\) and using identities, we can solve for exact trigonometric values at special angles:

We use the derived result for this common angle:

\(\tan(67.5^\circ) = 2 + \sqrt{2}\)

Substitute back into the height equation:

\(h = 10 \times (2 + \sqrt{2})\)

Therefore, after simplifying, the height \(h\) is:

\(h = 5\sqrt{2+\sqrt{2}} \, \text{km}\)

Thus, the correct answer is \(h = 5\sqrt{2+\sqrt{2}} \, \text{km}\). This matches the given option.

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Important Questions from Heights and Distances

  1. A peacock sitting at the top of a 3 meter high pole saw a snake approaching towards pole at a distance three times of the height of the pole. Then it jumping from pole will catch the snake at what distance from the pole if both are running with same speed ?

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