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MNS - Military Nursing Service Heights & Distances

Study Material — 4 PYQs (2018–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

MNS - Military Nursing Service Heights & Distances is a frequently tested subtopic — 4 previous year questions from 2018–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

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Previous Year Questions

MNS - Military Nursing Service Heights & Distances — Past Exam Questions

4 questions from actual MNS - Military Nursing Service papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution

Exam Q 12020Previous Year Pattern

A man standing 30 metres away from the base of a tower observes the angle of elevation to the top of the tower to be 60°. Find the height of the tower. (Use √3 ≈ 1.732)

Exam Q 22019Previous Year Pattern

A man standing 40 metres away from the base of a tower observes that the angle of elevation to the top of the tower is 30°. Find the height of the tower. (Use √3 ≈ 1.732)

Exam Q 32018Previous Year Pattern

From the top of a lighthouse 60 m high, the angles of depression of two ships on the same side are 45° and 30°. What is the distance between the two ships?

Exam Q 42019Previous Year Pattern

From a point on the ground 40 m away from the base of a vertical tower, the angle of elevation to the top is 60°. A man climbs to a point on the tower such that the angle of elevation from the same ground point becomes 45°. How many metres did the man climb?

Concept Notes

Heights & Distances— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Example

looking up at the top of a tower. • Angle of Depression: The angle formed when you look DOWN at an object from a horizontal line

Example

a person on a cliff looking down at a boat. • Line of Sight: The straight line from your eye to the object. • Horizontal Line: The flat line from your eye level going straight ahead.

Key RulesCore rules you must know cold

Angle of elevation from point A to point B = Angle of depression from point B to point A. They are always equal (alternate interior angles).

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

In a right-angled triangle:

• tan(angle) = Opposite / Adjacent = Height / Base Distance
• sin(angle) = Opposite / Hypotenuse
• cos(angle) = Adjacent / Hypotenuse

Key standard values to memorise:

• tan 30° = 1/√3 ≈ 0.577
• tan 45° = 1
• tan 60° = √3 ≈ 1.732
• tan 90° = undefined
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

NDA regularly asks: 1. Find the height of a tower given distance and angle of elevation. 2. Two observers or two angles from the same base line (combined problems). 3. Problems involving a moving observer — angle changes as person walks closer. 4.

Shadow-based problems using angle of elevation of the sun. SHORTCUT / TRICK Trick 1 — The 45° Shortcut: When the angle of elevation is 45°, tan 45° = 1. So Height = Distance from base. No calculation needed! Trick 2 — Two-angle formula (very common in NDA): If a person stands at point A and walks distance 'd' closer to a tower, and the angle changes from α to β, then: Height of tower = d × tan α × tan β / (tan β − tan α) Memoise this formula. It saves 2-3 minutes in exam.

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Draw a right triangle. Let height = h, base = 40 m, angle = 30°.

2
Step 2

Use tan(angle) = height / base tan 30° = h / 40

3
Step 3

Substitute value of tan 30° = 1/√3 1/√3 = h / 40

4
Step 4

Solve for h h = 40 / √3 h = 40√3 / 3 ≈ 23.09 m Answer: Height of tower = 40/√3 = 40√3/3 metres

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

Students confuse angle of elevation with angle of depression and set up the triangle incorrectly. Always draw the figure first. Mark the horizontal line clearly.

The angle is always measured FROM the horizontal, NOT from the vertical. Also, never forget to rationalise the denominator in your final answer.

Key Points to Remember

  • Angle of elevation is measured upward from the horizontal line to the line of sight.
  • Angle of depression is measured downward from the horizontal line to the line of sight.
  • Angle of elevation from point A to B always equals angle of depression from B to A.
  • Formula: tan(angle) = Height / Base Distance — this is the most used formula in this topic.
  • When angle of elevation = 45°, then Height = Base Distance (since tan 45° = 1).
  • Two-angle formula: Height = d × tan α × tan β / (tan β − tan α), where d is the distance walked.
  • tan 30° = 1/√3, tan 45° = 1, tan 60° = √3 — these three values cover 90% of exam questions.
  • Always draw a diagram first — it prevents wrong triangle setup and saves marks.

Exam-Specific Tips

  • tan 45° = 1, which means at 45° angle of elevation, height of tower equals the horizontal distance from the tower.
  • tan 60° = √3 ≈ 1.732 — used when the angle of elevation is 60°, giving height = √3 × base distance.
  • The angle of depression from the top of a tower equals the angle of elevation from the ground to the top — both are alternate interior angles.
  • Two-angle height formula: Height = (d × tan α × tan β) / (tan β − tan α), where d = distance between two observation points.
  • tan 30° = 1/√3 = √3/3 — rationalised form is √3/3, which must be used in final simplified answers.
  • In shadow problems, the angle of elevation of the sun equals the angle between the shadow (ground) and the line from tip of shadow to top of object.
  • If a tower and its shadow are equal in length, the angle of elevation of the sun is exactly 45°.
  • sin 30° = 1/2, cos 60° = 1/2, sin 45° = cos 45° = 1/√2 — these appear in inclined plane and rope-type distance problems.
Practice MCQs

Heights & Distances — Practice Questions

45graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 45

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

A man standing 30 metres away from the base of a tower observes the angle of elevation to the top of the tower as 60°. Find the height of the tower.

Practice 2easy

A ladder leans against a wall such that it makes an angle of 45° with the ground. If the ladder is 10√2 metres long, what is the height at which the ladder touches the wall?

Practice 3easy

A ladder leans against a wall such that its foot is 6 metres away from the wall. The angle of elevation from the foot of the ladder to the top of the wall is 45°. What is the height of the wall?

Practice 4easy

A vertical pole of height 15 metres casts a shadow of 15 metres on the ground. What is the angle of elevation of the sun?

Practice 5easy

An observer standing on the ground sees the top of a tree at an angle of elevation of 30°. If the observer moves 10 metres closer to the tree, the angle of elevation becomes 60°. Find the height of the tree.

Practice 6easy

From a point on the ground, the angle of elevation to the top of a 20-metre tall building is 45°. How far is the point from the base of the building?

Practice 7easy

From the top of a cliff 80 metres high, the angle of depression to a boat in the sea is 30°. How far is the boat from the base of the cliff? (Use √3 = 1.732)

Practice 8easy

A man standing 30 metres away from the base of a tower observes that the angle of elevation to the top of the tower is 60°. Find the height of the tower. (Use √3 = 1.732)

Practice 9easy

From the top of a 40-metre-high cliff, a person observes a boat in the sea at an angle of depression of 30°. How far is the boat from the base of the cliff?

Practice 10easy

A person standing on the roof of a 20-metre-high building observes the angle of depression to a point on the ground to be 45°. What is the horizontal distance from the building to that point?

Practice 11easy

An observer on the ground sees the top of a tree at an angle of elevation of 30°. If the observer moves 20 metres closer to the tree, the angle of elevation becomes 60°. Find the height of the tree.

Practice 12easy

From a point on the ground 50 metres away from the base of a building, the angle of elevation to the top is 45°. What is the height of the building?

Practice 13easy

From the top of a cliff 80 metres high, the angle of depression to a boat on the water is 30°. How far is the boat from the base of the cliff?

Practice 14easy

Two buildings are 50 metres apart. From the top of the first building (height 30 m), the angle of depression to the top of the second building is 15°. What is the height of the second building? (Use tan(15°) ≈ 0.27)

Practice 15easy

A man standing 30 metres away from the base of a tower observes the angle of elevation to the top of the tower to be 60°. Find the height of the tower.

Practice 16easy

From the top of a cliff 80 metres high, the angle of depression to a boat in the sea is 30°. What is the horizontal distance of the boat from the base of the cliff?

Practice 17easy

A man standing 30 metres away from the base of a tower observes the angle of elevation to the top of the tower to be 60°. Find the height of the tower.

Practice 18medium

A ladder leans against a vertical wall. The angle between the ladder and the ground is 60°. If the ladder is 10 metres long, how far is the base of the ladder from the wall?

Practice 19medium

From the top of a cliff 80 metres high, the angle of depression to a boat on the water is 45°. What is the horizontal distance of the boat from the base of the cliff?

Practice 20medium

From a point on the ground, the angle of elevation to the top of a tree is 45°. If the observer moves 10 m closer to the tree, the angle of elevation becomes 60°. Find the height of the tree (in metres). [Use √3 ≈ 1.732]

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60-Second Revision — Heights & Distances

  • Remember: tan(angle) = Height / Distance — this single formula solves most Heights & Distances problems.
  • Shortcut: Angle = 45° means Height = Distance from base. No calculation needed.
  • Formula: Two-angle problems → Height = d × tan α × tan β / (tan β − tan α). Memorise this.
  • Trap: Do NOT confuse angle of elevation (look up) with angle of depression (look down). Draw the figure every time.
  • Remember: Angle of elevation from ground = Angle of depression from top. They are always equal.
  • Values: tan 30° = 1/√3, tan 45° = 1, tan 60° = √3. These cover almost every NDA question.
  • Trap: Always rationalise the denominator in your final answer (e.g., 40/√3 must be written as 40√3/3).
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