📏 Angle of Elevation and Depression Calculator
Find the angle of elevation or depression between an observer and an object, based on horizontal distance and height difference.
What these angles measure
The angle of elevation is the angle formed between a horizontal line and the line of sight up to an object above that line — for example, looking up at the top of a building. The angle of depression is the same idea but looking down at an object below, such as from a cliff to a boat.
The formula
Both angles use the same right-triangle relationship: angle = arctan(opposite / adjacent), where the opposite side is the height difference between the observer and the object, and the adjacent side is the horizontal distance between them. The calculator also reports the direct line-of-sight distance using the Pythagorean theorem.
Because elevation and depression angles measured between two points along the same sightline are equal in magnitude (just measured from opposite ends), this calculator uses the same formula for both — the “View Direction” option only changes the label shown. This tool is for general math and educational purposes.