Easy Question, but giving me trouble

[Dave25]

Homework Statement

The press box at a baseball park is 38 feet above the ground. A reporter in the press box looks at an angle of 15 degrees below the horizontal to see second base. What is the distance form the press box to second base?

Homework Equations

sin = opp / hyp

The Attempt at a Solution

I am trying 38ft / sin15 and I am getting 146 ft. I know the answer is 142 ft. Or atleast that is what my book tells me the answer should be. What am I doing wrong?

 

[mgb_phys]

What am I doing wrong?

Not drawing a diagram before reaching for the calculator ?

 

[Dave25]

Ha! Ok, you got me there. So, I just wrote down the diagram and I still can't figure it out. So what do I need to do to solve this problem.

 

[mgb_phys]

So you have a triangle
The angle between the horizontal and the hypotonuse is 15deg
The vertical side opposite is 38" high

Is the question asking for the horizontal distance - rather than the slope distance?
Which trig function links opposite/adjacent

 

[Dave25]

Yeah, it's asking for horizontal distance and I was trying to find slope distance. Tangent is opp / adj and... my answer is 142 ft. Thanks a lot. I guess they don't give you the 2008 PF Award for nothing huh? Thanks again.