1. What is Angle of Depression?

The angle of depression is the angle between the horizontal line of sight and the line of sight down to an object. It's commonly used in navigation, surveying, and various engineering applications.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the trigonometric formula:

Where:

• \( \text{adjacent} \) — The horizontal distance (feet)
• \( \text{hypotenuse} \) — The line of sight distance (feet)
• The result is converted from radians to degrees

Explanation: The arccosine function calculates the angle whose cosine equals the ratio of adjacent side to hypotenuse.

3. Importance of Angle of Depression

Details: Calculating angle of depression is essential in fields like aviation (approach angles), architecture (sight lines), and military (targeting calculations).

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both adjacent and hypotenuse distances in feet. The adjacent side must be less than or equal to the hypotenuse. The calculator will return the angle in degrees.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between angle of depression and angle of elevation?
A: Angle of depression looks downward from horizontal, while angle of elevation looks upward. They're complementary angles when observing the same object from different positions.

Q2: What units should I use for the inputs?
A: The calculator uses feet, but any consistent unit will work (meters, yards, etc.) as long as both measurements use the same unit.

Q3: Why does my calculation show an error?
A: This happens if the adjacent side is longer than the hypotenuse (impossible in right triangles) or if values are zero/negative.

Q4: How accurate is this calculation?
A: The calculation is mathematically precise, but real-world accuracy depends on measurement precision of your inputs.

Q5: Can I use this for non-right triangles?
A: This specific formula works for right triangles. For other triangles, you'd need different trigonometric approaches.