TRIGONOMETRY

Trigonometric Identities
1994: Trigonometric Equations
Figure below shows a triangle ABC with angle
A =110o, angle B = 30o and angle C = 40o.
1997:
A
Find two values of x between 0o and 360o which
satisfy the equations;
110o
i. sin x = 0.7
ii. 5 cos x = 2 sin x 7

40o Solution of triangles

30 o
A
B C 1988:
1993:
i. Which of the following are positive and
which are negative? sin A , cos A , 10 cm
tan A . 4 cm
ii. Find cos2 A + sin2 A.
iii. Find 4 cos2 B. 8

1999:
1
If cos x = - and 90o ≤ x ≤ 180o, calculate B P C
√5
i. sin x Calculate:
ii. tan x 6 i. angle BAP
ii. the length of BC and hence PC.
2001:
5 cos x−sin x 8/9
Given that tan x = , evaluate .
12 cos x +sin x
1991:
Figure shows a quadrilateral ABCD in which
AB = 80 cm, AD = 60 cm, DC = 50 cm, angle
3
BAD = angle DCB = 90o.
2005:
C
1
Given that sin θ = , find cos θ, leaving
3 50 cm
your answer in surd form. 5 D
xo
2006:
Without using a calculator or four figure tables,
find cos B if sin B = 0.8. 6
60 cm
2009:
Without using a calculator or four figure tables,
tan 60 °
evaluate . 4
tan 30 °

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 A 80 cm B Calculate XY 4
Calculate:
i. the length of BD 3
ii. the value of the angle marked x

3
iii. the area of the quadrilateral ABCD.
1998:
5 In figure, JM = 2 cm, angle MJL = 60o, angle
1992: A KJL = 35o and angle JML = angle JLK = 90o.
J

90 m E 50 m 35° B 35° K
J
450 2 cm
35o
D C K
In figure above, AD = 90 m, BE = 50 m, angle
ABE = 35o, angle ACB = 45o, and angle
ACD = angle AEB = 90o. Calculate M L
i. the length AC 4 Find the length of LK. 5
ii. angle ADC. 4
2002:
1995: In figure below AE = 25 cm, BC = 15 cm, angle
In figure below, AD = 3 cm, angle BAE = 30o, angle BCD = 45o and angle
BAD = 30o, angle CBD = 45o, BD = x cm, CBD = 90o.
DC = y cm, angle ADB = angle BCD. D
B
o
45
x cm C E
o
30 y cm
A 3 cm D 25 cm
Without using mathematical tables, find the
lengths marked x and y. Give your answers in
30o 45°
surd form with rational denominators.

6 A B 15 cm C
1997: Calculate the length of DE. 6
In figure below, RY = 6 cm, QP = 5 cm, angle
QRY = 45o, angle QPX = 20o and angle 2003:
RYQ = angle PXQ = angle YZP = 90o. In figure below, LM = 12 cm, angle
Q LMD = 60o, angle DLN = 45o and angle
5 cm LDN = 90o.
20O L
X P

12 cm
45° 45°
60o

R 6 cm Y Z

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 M D N Calculate angle YXZ, giving your answer
correct to the nearest degree. 6
Calculate the length of DN. 6
2012: A

√ 41 cm

2004: B 5 cm C
In figure below AB = 5 cm, angle ABC = 27o Find angle ACB to 3 significant figures. 6
and angle BAC = 90o
C
Sine, Cosine and Area Rule
1988:
AB and BC are two straight roads along the
sides of a forest which is crossed by a footpath
AC . Angle ABC = 132o, AB = 4.3 km and
27° BC = 5.6 km. Calculate how much shorter the
footpath route from A to C is than the route by
road. B
A 5 cm B

Calculate the length of AC. 4

4.3 km 5.6 km
2005: A 132°
C
D E A C
5 cm
1995:
B F C
In figure below, AB = 8 cm, NC = 3.5 cm, angle
CAN = 40o, angle ABC = 60o, angle CBD = 48o
In figure above, BF = FE = DE = BD =5 cm,
and angle BCD = 90o.
angle ABC = 90o and angle FCE = 35o.
A
Calculate the length of AB. 5

2010:
Figure below shows an isosceles triangle XYZ
with sides XY = XZ = 9 cm and YZ = 12 cm.
N 40o C
XD is a perpendicular bisector of YZ.
8 cm 3.5 cm
X

9 cm 9 cm
60o
48o

Y D Z B
12 cm Calculate the length of
a. CD 4
b. AN 6

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1996:
In triangle below, angle FMQ = 50o, angle 2 cm
MFQ = 90o and FQ = 10 m.
M

M N
Calculate the length of LN, leaving your answer
in surd form. 5
F 10 m Q
Calculate the area of triangle MFQ. 4

In triangle ABC, AB = 6 cm, BC = 8 cm and

angle ABC = 120o. Calculate AC. 3 2005:
In triangle below, PQ = 6 cm, QR = 10 cm and
In a parallelogram ABCD, AB = 10 cm, PR = 7 cm.
BC = 6 cm and the area of the parallelogram is P
30 cm2. Calculate angle ABC given that it is
obtuse. 4
6 cm 7 cm
1999:
In triangle below, QR = 4 cm, QP = 5 cm and
angle PQR = 65o 30’. Q R
R 10 cm
Calculate angle PRQ to the nearest degree.

4 cm 5
65o 30’
2006:
In triangle ABC, angle BAC = 60o, AC = 10 cm
Q 5 cm P and the area of the triangle is 15√ 6 cm2.
Calculate the area of triangle RQP. 3 B

2002:
In triangle below, SR = 3 cm, ST = 5 cm and 60o
cosine of angle RST = 0.6000. A C
R 10 cm
Calculate the length of AB leaving the answer
in its simplest surd form. 5
3 cm
2011:
Figure below is a triangle such that angle
S 5 cm T ABC = 46o, AB = 7 cm and BC = 9 cm.
A
Calculate the length of RT. 5

2003:
In triangle below, LM = 2 cm, angle LMN= 60o 7 cm
and angle MNL = 45o.
L 46o

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45°
60o
 B 5 cm
9 cm C
Calculate the length of AC to one decimal
place. 5 32ᵒ
2013: A B 8 cm C
Calculate AC, to 3 significant figures. 4

6 cm

Area = 12 cm2

C
B 5 cm
Calculate the value of angle B to the nearest
degree. 5
2014:
Find the area of triangle PQR in which 2017
PQ = 12 cm, QR = 8 cm, PR = 5 cm and angle Figure below shows a right angled triangle
QPR = 45o leaving your answer in surd form. ABC. Angle BDC = 35°, angle ABD = 10°,
BC = 12 cm and CD = 17.1 cm. B
4
In figure below, angle P = 35.5o, angle Q = 44o
and PR = 8 cm
. P 10°

35.5o 8 cm 12 cm

44°
Q R 35°
A D 17.1 cm C
Find QR, leaving your answer correct to two
significant figures. 4 Calculate the length of AD, giving your answer
correct to one decimal place. 6
2015
X 2018
Figure below shows a triangle VWX in which
11 cm 125ᵒ VW = 5 cm, VX = 6 cm and angle VWX = 60°.
Z W

Y 60°
If the area of the triangle XYZ = 36 cm2,
calculate XZ, leaving your answer correct to the 5 cm
nearest whole number. 4

Figure below shows a triangle ABC in which V 6 cm X

AB = 5 cm, BC = 8 cm and angle ABC = 32ᵒ. Calculate angle VXW, giving your answer
A correct to one decimal place. 6

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 The angle of depression of a car from the top of
a pole is 35o. If the top of the pole is 25 m from
the ground, calculate the distance of the car
from the pole. 6

2008:
An aeroplane takes off at an angle of 23o to the
horizontal ground and flies for 13 km. Calculate
its height above the ground, leaving your
answer correct to 1 decimal place. 5

2010:
A boat is 100 m away from the bottom of a cliff.
If the cliff is 16 m high, calculate the angle of
depression of the boat from the top of the cliff
to the nearest degree. 4
Angles of elevation and depression
1990:
A man at the top of a building of height 50 m
observes a car below travelling at a constant
2013:
speed away from a building along a straight
Two boats A and B are 57 m apart. The angle of
level road. The first position of the car was P.
elevation of a cliff (C ) from boat A is 37o and
After 10 s, the position of the car was Q. The
from boat B is 25o. Calculate the distance of
angles of depression of P and Q were 50o and
boat B from the top of the cliff; give your
20o respectively. Calculate:
answer correct to the nearest metre. 8
a. the distance PQ which the car had travelled
in 10 s, correct to 3 significant figures.
2016
A plane leaves an airport A at an angle of
5
b. the speed of the car, in kilometres per hour, elevation of 40ᵒ. It flies through 6 km to a height
correct to the nearest km/h. 4 of x km to point B. It then reduces the angle of
elevation to 20ᵒ and flies a distance of 18 km to
1998: y km higher than before to point C. Calculate
The angle of elevation of a top of a tree from a the height of the plane above the ground at point
point 100 m away from its foot is 6o. Calculate C. 6
the height of the tree to two significant figures.
A point P on the level ground is 15 m away
4 from the foot of the wall of a house. The angle
2000:
of elevation to the bottom B of a window from
A man at the top of a building observes a car
moving on a straight road towards the building. P is 12ᵒ and the angle of elevation to the top T of
The initial position of the car was P and after 10 the window from the same point P is 16ᵒ.
s, the car was at Q. The angles of depression of Calculate the height of the window, giving your
P and Q were 40o and 70o respectively. If the answer correct to the nearest metre. 5
height of the building is 50 m, calculate the
distance between P and Q. 5

2007:

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 i. the direct distance from Nkhata Bay
to Nkhotakota, correct to 3 significant
figures.
ii. the bearing of Nkhotakota from
Nkhata Bay. 13

1994:
A land surveyor sighted a tree A, 5.5 km
away on a bearing of 350o (N10oW) from O.
Another tree B, 3 km on a bearing of 070o
(N70oE) was sighted from the same position O.
Calculate:
a. the distance of A from B, correct to 2
decimal places. 8
b. the bearing of B from A. 8
c. the area of land enclosed in triangle ABO
in hectares, correct to the nearest hectare.

4
Bearings 1994
A plot of land is in the shape of a triangle
1987: labeled ABC. B is 630 m on a bearing of 0650
A land surveyor sighted a hill A, 3.5 km away from A and C is 870 m on a bearing of 145o
on a bearing of N10oW (350o) from O. Another from B.
hill B, 2.8 km on a bearing of N70oE (070o) was a. Using any instrument and taking a scale of
sighted from the same position. Calculate: 1 cm to represent 100 m, construct the plan
a. the distance of A from B, to 1 decimal of the plot.
place. b. (i) Measure the length of AC.
b. the bearing of B from A (ii) Give the bearing of A from C. 9
c. the area of land enclosed in triangle ABO,
in hectares, correct to the nearest hectare. 1998:
From a point P a tower is 250 m away on a
20 bearing of 140o and the angle of elevation at the
1989: top of the tower is 18o. From a point Q the tower
A coast lies due east-west. A boat leaving port is on a bearing of 050o and the bearing of Q
A on the coast travelled 2.5 km on a bearing of from P is 165o. Calculate the
311o (N49oW) to an island B. It then travelled distance of Q from P. 9
3.0 km on a bearing of 056o (N56oE) to another
island C. Calculate: 1999:
a. the distance from A to C. 7 A ship leaves port X and steams on a course
b. the bearing of C from A. 8 045o for an hour, at 20 km/h to reach port Y. At
c. the shortest distance from C to the coast. port Y, the ship changes course to 155o and
1
steams for further 1 hours at the same speed to
5 2
1992: reach port Z. Calculate:
A cargo ship left Nkhata Bay and travelled 70 i. the distance XZ
km on a bearing 140o (S40oE) to Likoma ii. the bearing of Z from X. 8
island. It then travelled 100 km on bearing of
208o (S28oW) to Nkhotakota. Calculate: 2000:

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A fishing boat leaves a port P and streams 16
km in the direction 037o (N37oE) to a position A 2011:
where it changes course and streams 13 km due Two cyclists X and Y are 10 km apart. Cyclist X
west to position B. is due north of cyclist Y. A traffic officer at
Calculate: point P found that cyclist X is on a bearing 031o
i. the size of angle PAB and Y is on a bearing 064o. How far is the
ii. the distance to the nearest km traffic officer from cyclist X? 6
between P and B. 8
2017
2002: A tourist left City A and drove on a bearing of
Town X is 10 km due north of town Y. The 047° to City B. She then drove 75 km on a
bearing of ship H from town X is 145o 34’ (S34o bearing of 117° to City C which is on a bearing
26’E) and town Y is 055o 34’ (N55o 34’E). How of 100° from City A. Calculate the distance
far is the ship from Y? 6 between cities A and C, giving your answer
correct to two decimal places. 7
2004:
A boat sails 40 km from a point A to point B,
east of A on a lake. Lodge P is south of point A.
Another lodge Q is south of point B. The
bearing of Q from A is S52oE and the bearing of
P from B is S39oW. If P is 60 km from Q,
calculate the bearing of lodge Q from lodge P. Compiled by K.A. ADINI
© 2018-2019
9

2006:
An aeroplane leaves airport A on a bearing of
N23oE and flies for 340 km to another airport B.
It then leaves airport B and flies on a bearing
N60oW to another airport C. If the airports A
and C are 680 km apart, calculate the bearing
of airport A from airport C. 10

2008:
Village B is on a bearing of 135o and a distance
of 40 km from village A. Village C is on a
bearing of 225o and a distance of 62 km from
village A.
i. Show that A, B and C form a right –
angled triangle.
ii. Calculate angle ACB to the nearest
degree. 8

2009:
A lorry leaves point A to point B travelling on a
bearing of 035o for 50 km. It then turns due
East travelling at 25 km/h for 4 hours and
reaches point C. Calculate how far the lorry is
from the starting point, leaving your answer
correct to the nearest kilometre. 8

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