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Angle of
Depression
Definition of Angle of
Depression
The word “depression”
means “fall” or “drop”.
Angle of depression is
the angle between the horizontal and the line of sight to an object
beneath the horizontal.
Take a look at the example below.
Example - Angle of
Depression
In the picture below, an observer is standing at the top of
a building and looking straight ahead at the birds (horizontal line). The observer
must lower his eyes to see the car parked (slanting line).
The angle formed between the two lines is called
the angle of depression.
Solved Example on Angle
of Depression
An airplane is flying at a height of 2
miles above the level ground. The angle of depression from the plane to
the foot of a tree is 15°. Find the distance that the air
plane must fly to be directly above the tree.
Solution:
Step
1: Let’s first visualize the
situation.
Step
2:
Let
‘x’ be the
distance the airplane must fly to be directly above the
tree.
Step
3: The level ground and the
horizontal are parallel, so the
alternate interior angles are equal in
measure.
Step
6:
So, the airplane
must fly about 7.46
miles to be directly above the tree.
Related Terms for Angle
of Depression
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