1. **State the problem:** David is standing 60 feet high in a tree house and looking down at a 59° angle to see a deer. We need to find the horizontal distance from the base of the tree to the deer. 2. **Identify the right triangle:** The height of the tree is one leg (opposite side) of the triangle, which is 60 ft. The angle of depression is 59°, so the angle between the horizontal ground and the line of sight is 59°. 3. **Use trigonometry:** We want to find the adjacent side (distance from tree base to deer), given the opposite side (height) and angle. The formula relating opposite and adjacent sides is: $$\tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}$$ 4. **Plug in values:** $$\tan(59^\circ) = \frac{60}{d}$$ where $d$ is the distance from the tree to the deer. 5. **Solve for $d$:** $$d = \frac{60}{\tan(59^\circ)}$$ 6. **Calculate $\tan(59^\circ)$:** Using a calculator, $\tan(59^\circ) \approx 1.6643$ 7. **Evaluate $d$:** $$d = \frac{60}{1.6643} \approx 36.05$$ 8. **Answer:** The deer is approximately **36.1 feet** from the base of the tree to the nearest tenth of a foot.