1. **Problem:** Find the distance between the base of the telephone pole and the base of the tree given the angle of depression is 63° and the pole height is 18 ft. 2. **Formula:** Use the tangent function in right triangle trigonometry: $$\tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}$$ where $\theta = 63^\circ$, opposite side = 18 ft (height of pole), and adjacent side = distance between bases (unknown). 3. **Set up equation:** $$\tan(63^\circ) = \frac{18}{d}$$ where $d$ is the distance we want. 4. **Solve for $d$:** $$d = \frac{18}{\tan(63^\circ)}$$ 5. **Calculate $\tan(63^\circ)$:** Using a calculator, $$\tan(63^\circ) \approx 1.9626$$ 6. **Substitute and simplify:** $$d = \frac{18}{1.9626}$$ 7. **Intermediate step with cancellation:** $$d = \frac{\cancel{18}}{\cancel{1.9626}} \approx 9.17$$ 8. **Final answer:** The distance between the base of the pole and the base of the tree is approximately **9.2 feet** (rounded to the nearest tenth).