Flag Pole Lab Math 10 2024

I, Gabriel and Kailyn used indirect measurements to determine the height of the flagpole in front of our school.

We each estimated the height the flagpole. Gabriel estimated 12 meters while Kailyn and I estimated 15 meters.

We measured 3 different distances; 2 m, 2.47 m, and 2.55 m. The angles we got were 70 degrees, 79 degrees and 64 degrees. After using the tangent ratio, the average height of the flagpole is 8.746 m.

Considerations we had to take while doing the lab was keeping eye level the same for the whole process and not leaning forward or backward to change the measurements. We also had to wait for the weight to stop swinging and fully stop before recording the measurements.

We compared results with Terrance’s group. Terrance’s average height for the flagpole was 9.603 m. His group’s measurement was almost a full meter bigger than ours.

Our original estimates were far off, with Gabriel’s being the closest at 12 m. I and Kailyn’s estimate of 15 M was far off compared to the solution we got of 8.746 m.

Trigonometry allows us to measure to height or distance of objects that are hard to reach by using angles and the lengths of sides in a right triangle. By knowing one side and an angle, we can use trig ratios like sin, cos, or tan to find unknown distances or heights.