A roller coaster travels 41.9 m at an angle of 15.0◦ above the horizontal.

How far does it move horizontally?
Answer in units of m

Review the definition of cosine.

It applies here.

To calculate how far the roller coaster moves horizontally, we need to find the horizontal component of the distance it travels.

We can use trigonometry to determine the horizontal component. The cosine function relates the adjacent side of a right triangle to the hypotenuse. In this case, the adjacent side represents the horizontal distance and the hypotenuse represents the total distance traveled.

The formula to find the horizontal distance is:

horizontal distance = total distance * cosine(angle)

Plugging in the given values:

horizontal distance = 41.9 m * cosine(15.0°)

Let's calculate this: