Solution:
Consider CB as the cliff and AC as the pillar
D as the boat which is 300 m away from the foot of the cliff BD = 300 m
Angle of elevation of the top and foot of the pillar are 550 40’ and 540 20’
Take CB = x and AC = y
In a right triangle CBD
tan θ = CB/BD
Substituting the values
tan 540 20’ = x/300
So we get
1.3933 = x/300
By cross multiplication
x = 300 × 1.3933
x = 417.99 m
In a right triangle ABD
tan θ = AB/BD
Substituting the values
(x + y)/ 300 = 1.4641
By cross multiplication
x + y = 1.4641 × 300 = 439.23
Substituting the value of x
y = 439.23 – 417.99 = 21.24 m = 21 m
Hence, the height of pillar is 21 m.