What is the distance of line segment CE?
Now we can use basic trigonometry operations to find the distance of the line segment CE, which we will call x. Consider the triangle formed by AEC. Given: We know the height of this triangle is the distance from the top of the picture to our eye level. The picture is 4′-0″ in height, and sits 2′-0″ above our eye level. So the height is 6′-0″. We have found the angle AEC to be the sum of angle AEB and angle BEC. Therefore angle AEC is 60 degrees. Find: Find the length of the base x of this triangle, also called segment CE. Solve: Recall from trigonometry- given an angle and opposite side length, the adjacent side can be found using the formula: Theta is the angle we have found, 60. Opposite is the length of the side opposite our angle, 6′-0″. Adjacent is the length of the side adjacent to our angle, x. Plug in the given values for our variables, and solve for x. Multiply both sides by x, and cancel: Divide both sides by tan 60, and cancel: Compute: Or approximately, Therefore, if we we
