1. **Problem statement:** You are standing 62 meters from a hot air balloon. The angle of elevation to the top of the balloon is 31°. Find the height of the balloon to the nearest tenth.
2. **Formula used:** We use the tangent function in right triangle trigonometry, which relates the angle of elevation $\theta$, the opposite side (height $h$), and the adjacent side (distance $d$):
$$\tan(\theta) = \frac{h}{d}$$
3. **Apply the formula:** Given $\theta = 31^\circ$ and $d = 62$ meters, solve for $h$:
$$h = d \times \tan(\theta)$$
4. **Calculate:**
$$h = 62 \times \tan(31^\circ)$$
Using a calculator:
$$\tan(31^\circ) \approx 0.6009$$
So,
$$h = 62 \times 0.6009 = 37.2558$$
5. **Round to the nearest tenth:**
$$h \approx 37.3 \text{ meters}$$
**Final answer:** The height of the balloon is approximately **37.3 meters**.
Balloon Height 57B056
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