Ed Tech – Tutorial

Trig Application Problem

Consider an observer watching a hot air balloon rise. Adjust the sliders for height of the balloon and distance the observer is from the launch pad. Assume that the ballon travels straight up. Determine the height of the balloon, rounded to the nearest tenth, using right triangle trigonometry (SohCahToa).

Use the check box to compare your answer. Do this for a few different settings to develop proficiency with this type of application problem.

Why is the scope height important to this problem?

Describe what the variable x represents in this problem.