The leaning Tower of Pisa was completed in 1372 and makes 86 degree angle with the ground. The tower is 50 meters tall, measured vertically from the ground to the highest point. If you were to climb to the top then accidentally drop your keys, where would you start looking for them?

How far from the base of the tower would they land?

I made having no luck in figuring this out.

The distance where the keys would drop from the base is 3.5m

Step-by-step explanation:

Height of the tower = 50m

Angle it makes to the ground = 86°

To solve this question, you have to understand that the tower isn't vertically upright and the height of the tower is different from the distance from the top of the tower to the ground.

The tower makes an angle 86° to the ground and that makes it not vertically straight because a vertically straight building is at 90° to the ground.

See attached document for better illustration.

The distance from where the keys drop to the base of the tower can be calculated using SOHCAHTOA

We have to use cosθ = adjacent / hypothenus

θ = 86°

Adjacent = ? = x

Hypothenus = 50m

Cos θ = x / hyp

Cos 86 = x / 50

X = 50 × cos 86

X = 50 × 0.06976

X = 3.488 = 3.5m

The distance where the keys would drop from the base of the tower is approximately 3.5m

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