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A man standing on the bank of a river observes that the angle subtended by a tree standing on the opposite bank is 60 degrees on his side of bank. When he moved away 24m from the bank, he finds the angle to be 30 degrees. Find the breadth of the river:

Solution

Correct Option: 1

Let the river breadth be xx and tree height be yy. From the bank: tan60=y/x\tan 60 = y/x, so y=x3y = x\sqrt{3}. From 24 m away: tan30=y/(x+24)\tan 30 = y/(x+24), so y=(x+24)/3y = (x+24)/\sqrt{3}. Equating: x3=(x+24)/3x\sqrt{3} = (x+24)/\sqrt{3}, giving 3x=x+243x = x + 24, so x=12x = 12 m.

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