The angle of elevation from a point 20 meters from the base of a tower to the top is 60 degrees. How tall is the tower?

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:02:46 +0000

**The angle of elevation from a point 20 meters from the base of a tower to the top is 60 degrees. How tall is the tower?** When users ask, *“The angle of elevation from a point 20 meters from the base of a tower to the top is 60 degrees. How tall is the tower?”,* they’re tapping into a real-world problem that blends geometry and practical insight. This question isn’t just about tall towers—it’s a gateway to understanding how perspective, measurement, and design shape our built environment. As urban development grows and infrastructure projects demand precision, this angle-based calculation plays a quiet but vital role in everything from tower engineering to urban planning. Understanding this relationship helps answer an everyday inquiry with clarity and confidence. But beyond the numbers, it raises a broader question: how accurate and reliable is our perception — and measurement — of height in daily life? Getting from angle to height is seamless when you know the simple trigonometric principle at play. Elevation angles describe the upward tilt from a fixed viewpoint to the top of a vertical object. Using the tangent function — the ratio of opposite to adjacent sides in a right triangle — experts can derive exact heights from measured distances and angles. In this case, standing 20 meters away from a tower’s base and measuring a 60-degree angle of elevation means the tower’s height can be calculated precisely.