Need help with trigonometry problem

[bbm25]

I will post the problem i need help with in its entirety below. The english is not very good, so i will write both what the original problem says and then what i think the original problem *means* in brackets.

“Use mathematical expression in describing real engineering problems precisely, concisely.

Problem: An excavator moves from point A to point B. Then from the point B the excavator starts to rise up (lift up?) the hydraulic cylinder 6m along elevation degree 48° and digging (digs?) a hole at point A using the excavator bucket. Calculate the length from point C to (the) point that (the) excavator’s bucket touches the ground.

my questions:
1) Where is point C supposed to be? Where does point C come from? From my understanding, the question doesn’t mention point C yet wants me to use point C in the answer.

2) Why does it matter that the excavator moves from point A to point B?

3) How do i determine at what point the excavator’s bucket touches the ground?

 

[Dr.Peterson]

I will post the problem i need help with in its entirety below. The english is not very good, so i will write both what the original problem says and then what i think the original problem *means* in brackets.

“Use mathematical expression in describing real engineering problems precisely, concisely.

Problem: An excavator moves from point A to point B. Then from the point B the excavator starts to rise up (lift up?) the hydraulic cylinder 6m along elevation degree 48° and digging (digs?) a hole at point A using the excavator bucket. Calculate the length from point C to (the) point that (the) excavator’s bucket touches the ground.

my questions:
1) Where is point C supposed to be? Where does point C come from? From my understanding, the question doesn’t mention point C yet wants me to use point C in the answer.

2) Why does it matter that the excavator moves from point A to point B?

3) How do i determine at what point the excavator’s bucket touches the ground?

Surely this is supposed to include a picture! Without one, I'm not sure it's comprehensible at all.

If there's no one you can ask about the problem's meaning, I wouldn't bother trying it.

 

[bbm25]

I can’t skip the problem because It’s a class assignment. And Unfortunately there is no picture, because part of my task of solving this problem is drawing the picture and presenting it to the class

 

[bbm25]

My friend told me i can extrapolate or otherwise ‘figure out’ or even simply assign as i please the position of point C. I’m just bewildered as to how?

 

[Dr.Peterson]

I can’t skip the problem because It’s a class assignment. And Unfortunately there is no picture, because part of my task of solving this problem is drawing the picture and presenting it to the class

If it's for a class, you should be able to ask about the meaning of the problem, or whether something was left out.

But if you want to guess at the missing details, and if what you are learning is basic right triangle trigonometry, then you might ASSUME that point C is directly above A, forming a right triangle with hypotenuse BC = 6 and angle B = 48 degrees.

But in a presentation, I would point out that if this were, say, an assignment for work, you would ask your boss for the missing details, because you never want to solve the wrong problem just because it wasn't explained adequately. And that the work you would be doing is valid only IF you turn out to be interpreting it correctly.