Trigonometry
A ship is coming into a harbor on an unusually high tide. The ship has to pass under the harbor bridge but the captain doesn't know if the ship will fit.
He uses a theodolite to measure the angle at an unknown distance from the bridge and then re-measures the angle when he is 300 metres closer. The first angle measured is 2.3 degrees from sea level and the second angle is 3.3 degrees from sea level. If the ships height is 35 metres out of the water, will it fit under the bridge? (Show all working and list any assumptions made)
Hint: Draw a diagram and see if you can calculate the height of the bridge, and if the ship is smaller than the height of the bridge, then it will fit under the bridge.