Solutions of Right-Angled

TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

- OVERVIEW:
If you know the size (length) of three out of the six parts of the triangle (at least one side must
be included), you can find the sizes of the remaining sides and angles. If the triangle is a right triangle,
you can use simple trigonometric ratios to find the missing parts. If any three of these six
measurements are known (other than knowing the measures of the three angles), then you can
calculate the values of the other three measurements. The process of finding the missing
measurements is known as solving the triangle. If the triangle is a right triangle, then one of the
angles is 90°. Therefore, you can solve the right triangle if you are given the measures of two of the
three sides or if you are given the measure of one side and one of the other two angles.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Define right triangle and solved triangle;
2. Identify the parts of a right–angled triangle
3. Use the trigonometric ratios (functions) and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve the missing
parts of a right triangle;
4. Discuss angle of elevation & angle of depression;
5. Solve real-world problems that require to solve right triangles
LEARNING CONTENT:
INTRODUCTION:

Except for only 3 angles, because we need at least one side to find
how big the triangle is.

To find the solution of a triangle means to know the lengths of the 3 sides and
the measures of the 3 angles.
FUN FACTS
A right triangle can be solved by applying the six (6) trigonometric functions or
the Pythagorean Theorem.

Trigonometric function involves two (2) sides and one (1) angle.

Because a right triangle is a triangle with a 90 degree angle, solving a right triangle requires that
you find the measures of one or both of the other angles. How you solve will depend on how much
information is given. The following examples show two situations: a triangle missing one side, and
a triangle missing two sides.
TWO CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE SOLUTION OF A RIGHT TRIANGLE IS POSSIBLE:
CASE 1: If one side and an acute angle are given

Y Z
x
CASE 2: If any two sides are known
y
z

Page 1
 Solutions of Right-Angled
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

LET’S DO THESE….
1. Solve triangle CAB if angle C is a right angle, side a = 54 cm and side c = 60 cm. Draw the triangle if
C is 90⁰.
Given: Find:
A
a = 54 cm c = 60 cm b, A, B

Solutions: Find B using

c = 60 To find A, use sin  B = 90⁰  A
sin A = a/c B = 90⁰  64⁰ 9’ 29.04”
b=?
sin A = 54/60 B = 25⁰ 50’ 30.96”
sin A = 0.9
B A = 64⁰ 9’ 29.04”
C a = 54
Solve b using the Pythagorean Theorem
b2 = c2 – a2 cos A = b/c
b2 = 602  542 b = 60(cos 64⁰ 9’ 29.04”)
b2 = 684 b = 26.15
b = 26.15 or 26 cm
tan A = a/b = 26.15

2. Given that P = 90, R = 42 29’ 15” and r = 10,

a. Find the unknown angle of PRS. R = 42⁰ 29’ 15”
b. Solve for side p.
c. Compute for side s. p s

S r = 10
P

Given: Unknown: Solve for s

R = 42 29’ 15” S tan S = s_
P = 90⁰ side p r
r = 10 side s s = r(tan S)
s = 10 (tan 47 30’ 45”)
Find S Solve p s = 10.92  11
S = 90⁰  R cos S = r_ sin R = r/p
S = 90⁰  42 29’ 15” p p = r/(sin R)
S = 47 30’ 45” p = r__ p= 10______ = 14.81
cos S (sin 42⁰ 29’ 15”)
p = 10  cos 47 30’ 45” cos S (p) = r
p = 14.81  15 p = r/cos S

3. Given that sin E = 0.5, and ES = 10 in the figure below, solve EST.
E = 30⁰
Given: Find:
sin E = 0.5 = 30⁰ T, e, s
ES = t = 10
Solve s: Solve e: Solve for T:
s
t = 10 cos E = t_ tan E = e_ T = 90⁰  E
s t T = 90⁰ – 30⁰
s = 10___ e = 10 (tan 30⁰) T = 60⁰
cos 30⁰ e = 5.77  6
T s = 11.55  12
S e

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 Solutions of Right-Angled
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles: Worded Problems

LET’S DO THESE…
1. You live on a farm and your chore is to move hay from the loft of the barn down to the stalls
for the horses. The hay is very heavy and to move it manually down a ladder would take
too much time and effort. You decide to devise a make shift conveyor belt made of bed
sheets that you will attach to the door of the loft and anchor securely on the ground. If the
door of the loft is 25 feet above the ground and you have 30 feet of sheeting, at what angle
do you need to anchor the sheets to the ground?
Solution: Loft Given: Height of the door of the loft = 25 ft.
Length of the sheeting (cover) = 30 ft.
Find angle needed to anchor the sheets to the ground
30 feet 25 feet sin  = 25 = 0.83333  = sin–1 0.833333
30
 = 56.44234⁰ or 56⁰ 26’ 32.44” (the angle measure needed

for me to be able to anchor the sheets to the ground)

2. A man in town B observes a balloon directly above town A at an angle 3543’. How high is
the balloon from town A if it is 5 kilometers from town B?
Solution: sin B = b/a
balloon b = a (sin B)
b = 5 (sin 35⁰ 43’)
b = 2.92 km
5 km = a
b=? So, the balloon is 2.92 km directly
above town A.
Town A
35⁰ 43’

A B
Town A Town B

3. A hiker is hiking up a 12 degrees slope. If he hikes at a constant rate of 3 miph, how much
altitude does he gain in 5 hours of hiking?
Note: Distance = rt
Since the hiker travels at 3 miph for 5 hours, the distance he
travelled is 15 miles, which represents the hypotenuse.
Top Solution:
sin P = p/s
p = s (sin P)
15 mi p = 15 (sin 12⁰)
? = altitude
p = 3.12 mi

Therefore, the hiker’s elevation

12⁰ gain is 3.12 miles.
P S

4. A ladder placed against a wall such that it reaches the top of the wall of height 6 m and the
ladder is inclined at an angle of 60°. Find how far the ladder is from the foot of the wall.

Solution: Given: Height of the wall = 6 meters

tan C = c/a Angle of inclination = 60⁰
a = c__
6m tan C
a = 6__
tan 60⁰ Therefore, the foot of the ladder is 3.46 m
a = 3.46

a=?
Page 3
 Solutions of Right-Angled
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles: Worded Problems

TRY THESE…
1. A kite flying at a height of 65 m is attached to a string inclined at 31° to the horizontal. What
is the length of string?
Solution:
sin 31⁰ = 65/x
x sin 31⁰ = 65
x = 65__
? sin 31⁰
65 m 65 m
x = 126.20 m

31⁰

2. A six-meter-long ladder leans against a building. If the ladder makes an angle of 60° with
the ground, how far up the wall does the ladder reach? How far from the wall is the base of
the ladder? Round your answers to two decimal places, as needed.
Solution: Given: h = 6 m
X = 60
x=?

sin 60 = d/6 Therefore, the height of 6m

x = 6(sin 60) the wall the ladder have
?
x = 5.20 m reached 5.20 m from the
wall 60⁰

distance of the foot of the ladder from the wall = ?

3. A man wants to determine the height of a light house. He measured the angle at A and
found that tan A = 3/4. What is the height of the light house if A is 40 m from the base?
Solution:

Cos 60 = d/6 Therefore, the

d = 6(cos 60) distance between the
foot of the ladder and
d=3m
the wall is 3 m.

4. A piece of wood 10 feet long leans against a wall which is 8 feet high. What is the angle of
inclination of the wood? How far is the foot of the log from the wall?
Solution:

10 ft
10 ft
ft 8 ft
8 ft 10
10 ft

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 Solutions of Right-Angled Triangles:
TRIGONOMETRY Angle of Elevation & Angle of Depression

ANGLE of ANGLE of DEPRESSION

ELEVATION is the is the angle between the
angle between the horizontal line which
horizontal line which passes thru the eyes of
passes thru the eyes of an observer and the
an observer and the straight line which joins
straight line which joins the eyes of the observer
the eyes of the to the object which is
observer to the object situated below the
which is situated horizontal line.
above the horizontal
line.

Note that the angle of elevation is the angle up from the ground; for example, if you
look up at something, this angle is the angle between the ground and your line of sight..
The angle of depression is the angle that comes down from a straight horizontal line in
the sky. (For example, if you look down on something, this angle is the angle between
your looking straight and you’re looking down to the ground). For the angle of depression,
you can typically use the fact that alternate interior angles of parallel lines are congruent to
put that angle in the triangle on the ground.

Note that shadows in these types of problems

are typically on the ground. When the sun
casts the shadow, the angle of depression is
the same as the angle of elevation from the
ground up to the top of the object whose
shadow is on the ground.
Also, the grade of something (like a road) is the tangent (rise over run) of that angle coming
from the ground. Usually the grade is expressed as a percentage, and you’ll have to convert the
percentage to a decimal to use in the problem.
And, as always, always draw pictures!

LET’S DO THESE…ANGLE of ELEVATION

A nursery plants a new tree and attaches a guy wire to help support the tree
while its roots take hold. An eight foot wire is attached to the tree and to a stake in the
ground. From the stake in the ground the angle of elevation of the connection with the tree
is 42º. Find to the nearest tenth of a foot, the height of the connection point on the tree.

sin 42⁰ = x_
8
x = 8 (sin 42⁰)
x = 5.35
So, the height of the connection point of the guy wire on the tree is 5.35 feet.
*

Find the shadow cast by a 10 foot lamp post when the angle of elevation of
the sun is 58º. Find the length to the nearest tenth of a foot.

tan 58⁰ = 10_ x(tan 58) = 10

x
x = 10___
tan 58⁰ Therefore, the shadow cast by the lamp
x = 6.2 is 6.2 feet.
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 Solutions of Right-Angled Triangles:
TRIGONOMETRY Angle of Elevation & Angle of Depression

A ladder leans against a brick wall. The foot of the ladder is 6 feet from the
wall. The ladder reaches a height of 15 feet on the wall. Find to the nearest degree, the
angle the ladder makes with the wall.

tan X = 6_
15
tan X = 0.4 tan–1 0.4 =
X = 21.80141⁰ or 21⁰ 48’ 5.07”
So, the ladder makes a 21⁰ 48’ 5.07” (22⁰) angle with the wall.

A radio station tower was built in two sections. From a point 87 feet from the
base of the tower, the angle of elevation of the top of the first section is 25º, and the angle
of elevation of the top of the second section is 40º. To the nearest foot, what is the height
of the top section of the tower?
Think of this problem as working with two separate triangles:
x (1) the larger triangle with the 40º angle and a vertical side that
represents the ENTIRE height, b, of the tower, and
(2) the smaller triangle with the 25º angle and a vertical
side, a, that represents the height of the first (bottom) section of
b
the tower.
a = ft • Solve for the vertical heights (b and a) in the two separate
triangles.
• The needed height, x, of the second (top) section of the tower
will be the difference between the ENTIRE height, b, and the
height of the first (bottom) section, a. You will need to subtract.
2. Larger triangle (b): • In both triangles, the solution deals with "opposite" and
tan 40⁰ = b_ "adjacent" making it a tangent problem.
87
b = 87 (tan 40⁰) 1. Smaller triangle (a): 3. To get the height x: b – a
b = 73.002 (height 1) tan 25⁰ = a_ x = 73.002 – 40.569 = 32.433
87
a = 87 (tan 25⁰) Therefore the hieght of the top of the
a = 40.569 (height 2) tower is 32.43 feet.

:  Notice, in this problem, that the trigonometric functions could not work directly on
the side labeled "x" because that side was NOT the side of a right triangle.

LET’S DO THESE…ANGLE of DEPRESSION

From the top of a lighthouse, the angle of depression of a boat is 530’. If the
lighthouse is 80 meters high, how far is the boat from the foot of the lighthouse?
T

5⁰ 30’ x
84⁰ 30’
tan 5⁰ 30’ = 80_
x
80 m
80 m x = 80  (tan 5⁰ 30’)
x = 830.83

The boat is 830.83

F B
meters away from the
foot of the lighthouse.

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 Solutions of Right-Angled Triangles:
TRIGONOMETRY Angle of Elevation & Angle of Depression

You are hiking and come to a cliff at the edge of a ravine. In the distance you
can see your campsite at the base of the cliff, on the other side of the ravine. You know that the
distance across the ravine is 500 meters, and the angle between your horizontal line of sight and
your campsite is 25⁰. How high is the cliff? (Assume you are five feet tall.)
C tan 25⁰ = b _
25⁰
500
b = 500 (tan 25⁰)
b =? b = 233.16 m (total height from the bottom of
the ravine to your horizontal line of sight)
500 m
B R To get the height of the ravine:
233.16 – 5 = 228. 16 m

From the top of a tower of height 60 m, the angles of depression of the top and
the bottom of a building are observed to be 30° and 60° respectively. Find the
height of the building.
1.) Let AB = x and BD = 60 – x  
∠ACB = 30°
tan θ = OS/AS
60 m

tan 30°  =  AB/BC

tan 30⁰ = x_
BC
BC = x___ E1
0.577

2.) In ADE: AED = 60⁰

tan θ = OS/AS 3.) E1 = E2 4) BD = 60 – x BD = CE
x = 34.64
tan 60°  =  AD/DE 0.577 CE = 60 – 20 = 40
tan 60⁰ = 60_ x = 34.64 (0.577)
DE Therefore, the building is 40 m high.
x = 19.99  20
DE = 60__ = 34.64 E2
tan 60⁰

A pedestrian is in between two tall buildings. From a 10-meter heig-ht on the

first building, the angle of depression of the pedestrian is 20⁰ 10’. From that same
point, the angle of elevation of the top of the second building is 15⁰ 20’. If the two
buildings are 40 meters apart:
a. How far is the pedestrian from the second building?
b. How high is the second building?
D Given:
AC = 10 m = EF
CE = 40 m = AF
15⁰ 20 CAB = 69⁰ 50’
10 m
20⁰ 10 DAF = 15⁰ 20’
15⁰ 20’
A F
20⁰ 10’ Note:
69⁰ 50’ BC + BE = CE
10 m
BE = 40 – BC
ED = EF + FD
C E
B

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 Solutions of Right-Angled Triangles:
TRIGONOMETRY Angle of Elevation & Angle of Depression

1. To look for BC: 3. EF = 10 m

tan CAB = BC tan DAF = FD
AC AF
BC = 10 (tan 69⁰ 50’) FD = 40 (tan 15⁰ 20’)
BC = 27.23 m FD = 10.97 m

2. Distance of the pedestrian from the second building 4. Height of the second
building (Use BC + BE = CE) ED = EF + FD
BE = 40 – 27.23 ED = 10 + 10.97
BE = 12.77 m ED = 20.97 m

FUN FACTS

Notice how the horizontal line in the angle of depression diagram is

PARALLEL to the ground level. The fact that horizontal lines are always parallel
guarantees that the alternate interior angles are equal in measure. In the
diagram, the angle marked xº is equal in measure to
m∠BAC. Simply stated, this means that ...
→ the angle of elevation = the angle of depression ←

The angle of elevation is always measured from The angle of

the ground up. It is an upward angle from a horizontal line. It is depression is always
always inside the triangle. OUTSIDE the triangle. It is
You can think of the angle of elevation in relation to the never inside the triangle. It is a
movement of your eyes. You are looking straight ahead and you downward angle from a
must raise (elevate) your eyes to see the top of a tree. horizontal line.
When trying to remember the meaning of an angle of
elevation think of an elevator that only goes up! You can think of
the angle of depression in
relation to the movement of
your eyes. You are standing at
the top of the lighthouse and
you are looking straight ahead.
You must lower (depress) your
eyes to see the boat in the
water.

Page 8
 Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles
OVERVIEW:
In geometry, we learned to prove congruence of triangles – that is when two triangles are
exactly the same. We used several rules to prove congruence: Angle-Side-Angle (ASA), Angle-
Angle-Side (AAS), Side-Angle-Side (SAS) and Side-Side-Side (SSS). In trigonometry, we take it a
step further. For instance, if we know the values of two angles and a side of a triangle, we can solve
that triangle … that is we can find the other angle and the other sides. We have learned to solve right
triangles in Unit 3. In this section we learn how to solve oblique triangles – triangles that do not have a
right angle. First, let’s start with a generalization for this section. All triangles will have 6 pieces of
information ---3 angles and 3 sides. Note that right angle trigonometry doesn’t help us here. There is
no right angle, thus no hypotenuse. We need something else.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Define oblique triangle;
2. Determine the cases of oblique triangle to be solved using the Law of Sine and the Law of
Cosine;
3. State the Law of Sine and the Law of Cosine;
4. Find the unknown parts of an oblique triangles using the Sine Law and the Cosine Law;
5. Solve real-world problems that require to solve oblique triangles.

LEARNING CONTENT:
INTRODUCTION:
Trigonometry can help us solve non-right triangles as well. Non-right triangles are known as
oblique triangles. There are two categories of oblique triangles --- acute and obtuse. An oblique
triangle is a triangle with no right angle. We will continue to go by our usual practice in this topic of
naming the three vertices of the triangle (using capital letters/uppercase) and naming the sides
opposite these vertices (using small letters/lowercase), respectively.
An oblique triangle is determined, meaning it can be solved, if a side and any two other
parts are known. Three basic situations fulfill this simple requirement: when two angles and a side are
given, two sides and an angle are given, or three sides are given.
A special circumstance arises when two sides and their included angle are given. In such
situation, the triangle is not always determined; this situation has garnered the name the ambiguous
case, and is the only situation in which a side and two other parts of a triangle don't determine the
triangle. Also, problem arises when two sides and an angle opposite one of them are known. This is
called the ambiguous case. In this section, we'll study the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines,
and each possible scenario.
A unique triangle is not always determined. The possible solutions depend on whether the
given angle is acute or obtuse. When the angle is acute, five possible solutions exist. When the angle
is obtuse, three possible solutions exist. These conditions will be discussed in this topic.

DEFINITION of OBLIQUE TRIANGLE

An Oblique triangle is a non-right triangle --- it is a triangle with no right angle in it. Its three angles is
composed of either: (a) three acute angles or (b) two acute angles and one obtuse angle.

All ACUTE angles One OBTUSE and 2 ACUTE angles

Page 9
 Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

If none of the angles of a triangle is a right angle, then the triangle is an OBLIQUE triangle. There
are four cases in an oblique triangle.

One side and two angles are known. (ASA or SAA) a, b, C a, A, B

A
A ASA SAA
CASE 1
S A
A

Two sides and the angle opposite one of them are

S known. (SSA) a, b, A

CASE 2 SSA
S

Two sides and Sthe included angle are known. (SAS) a, b, C

CASE 3 S
SAS
A

Three sides are known.

S (SSS) a, b, c

CASE 4 S S
SSS

NOTE: Law of Sines is used for Case 1 and Case 2 and the Law of Cosines is used for Case 3
and Case 4
LET’S DO THESE…
A. Identify the most appropriate case that must be used to solve each of the following oblique
triangle.

1. SAS – CASE 3 4.
AAS/SAA–CASE 1

2. 5.

SSA – CASE 2 SSS – CASE 4

3. 6.

ASA – CASE 1 ASA – CASE 1

B. Determine the case of oblique triangle that corresponds to each of the following. (Assume
that the given triangle is ABC).
1. (b, c, A) SAS – CASE 3 (Cos Law) 4. (C, b, c) SSA – CASE 2 (Sin Law)
1. (A, B, a) SAA – CASE 1 (Sin Law) 5. (C, b, a) SAS – CASE 3 (Cos Law)
2. (A, B, c) ASA – CASE 1 (Sin Law) 6. (a, b, c) SSS – CASE 4 (Cos Law)

Page 10
 Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

In summary, the Law of Sines states that in any oblique triangle, the sides are proportional to
the sines of the opposite angles.

When using the Law of Sines to find an unknown angle, you must watch out for the ambiguous
case. This occurs when two different triangles could be created using the given information. When
you are given two sides and an angle not in between those sides, you need to be on the lookout
for the ambiguous case. The given angle can be either acute or obtuse (if the angle is right, then
you can simply use right triangle solving techniques). The side opposite the given angle is either
greater than, equal to, or less than the other given side.

In this ambiguous case, three possible situations can occur:

1. No triangle with the given information exists.
2. One such triangle exists
3. Two distinct triangles may be formed that satisfy the given conditions.

These possibilities are summarized in the diagrams below.

Page 11
 Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

FIND ME…. LAW of SINES A, B, a SAA/AAS

1. Solve ABC if the following parts are given: A = 22 15’ B = 75 32’ a = 43
C This is CASE 1 (SAA): 3. To solve for c
? 1. To solve for C a = c
b=?
C = 180⁰ – (A + B) sin A sin C
a = 43 C = 180⁰ – (22⁰ 15’ + 75⁰ 32’) c = a sin C
C = 82⁰ 13’ sin A
75 32’ 2215’ c = 43 sin 82⁰ 13’
B A
c=? 2. To solve for b sin 22⁰ 15’
C
a = b__ c = 112.52  113
sin A sin B b = c
b = 110
a = 43 b = a sin B sin B sin C
sin A c = 110 sin 82⁰ 13’
b = 43 sin 75⁰ 32’ sin 75 32’
B A sin 22⁰ 15’
c = 113
b = 109.96  110

2. Given the figure below, calculate the distance from point A to point B.

This is CASE 1 (ASA): 2. To solve for c

1. To solve for B b = c
B = 180⁰ – (A + C) sin B sin C
B = 180⁰ – (61⁰ 28’ + 54⁰ 53’) c = b sin C
B = 63⁰ 39’ sin B
c = 200 sin 54⁰ 53’
sin 63⁰ 39’
c = 182.57  183 m

Determine the height, h, of the drawing below:

This is CASE 1 (ASA): 2. To solve for h

1. To solve for B sin A = h
B = 180⁰ – (A + C) c
B = 180⁰ – (72⁰ 18’ + 60⁰ 32’) h = c sin A
B = 47⁰ 10’ h = 594 sin 62⁰ 5’
h = 524.88  525
2. Solve for c
c = b
sin C sin B
c = b sin C
sin B
c = 500 sin 60⁰ 32’
sin 47⁰ 10’
c = 593.62  594

3. In XYZ, let X = 40⁰, y = 10 and x = 9.

Page 12
 This is CASE 1 (SSA): sin B = 0.7142084552
1. To solve for B B = sin–1 0.7142084552
a = b B = 45⁰ 34’ 42.12”
sin A sin B
sin B = b sin A Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY a Triangles
sin B = 10 sin 40⁰
2. To solve for h 3. To solve
9 for C 4. To solve for c
sin A = h_ C = 180⁰ -(A + B) a = c_
b C = 180⁰ – (40⁰ + 45⁰ 34’ 42.12”) sin A sin C
h = b sin A C = 94⁰ 25’ 17.88” c = a sin C
h = 10 sin 40⁰ sin A
h = 6.43 c = 9 sin 94⁰ 25’ 17.88”
sin 40⁰
a > h (2 solutions) c = 13.96  14

4. Calculate the radius of the circle circumscribed in a triangle, where A = 45⁰, B = 72 ⁰, and a
= 20 m.
To solve for r:
a = 2r
sin A
r= a
2 sin A
r = 20
2 sin 45⁰
r = 14.14 m

5. From a window, Nena sees two objects: a car and a tree. The angle of depression of the
car is 50 while that of the tree is 30. If the distance between the car and the tree is 100
meters, how far is Nena from the tree?

N
30⁰ 50⁰

20⁰

30⁰
T C T
100 m
Given: 2. NT = CT_ NT = 100 sin 150⁰
N = 20⁰ T = 30⁰ CT = 100 m sin C sin N sin 20⁰
Find: NT NT sin N = CT sin C NT = 223.98  224 m
NT = CT sin C
1. C = 180⁰  (20⁰ + 30⁰) = 130⁰ sin N
Therefore, Nena is 224 m away from the tree.

6. There is a tree out in front of our yard. It is tilted slightly at 70⁰. A house is 66 ½ feet away
from the tree. The angle from the house to the top of the tree is 40⁰. A family who lives in is
worried that if there is a big storm the tree will fall and hit the house. Find out the
dimensions of the triangle To solve the height of the tree
AB = AC_
sin C sin B
AB sin B = AC sin C
AB = AC sin C Page 13
sin B
AB = 66.5 sin 40⁰
 Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

Deriving the Law of Cosines h = b sin A k = b cos A

Write an equation using Pythagorean theorem for shaded triangle:
a2 = (b  sin A)2 + (c – b  cos A)2
a2 = b2  sin2 A + c2 – 2  c  b  cos A + b2  cos2 A
a2 = b2 (sin2 A + cos2 A) + c2 – 2bc cos A
a2 = b2 + c2 – 2bc cos A Note: sin2 A + cos2 A = 1
Similarly,
b2 = a2 + c2 – 2ac cos B c2 = a2 + b2 – 2ab cos C

In summary, the Law of Cosines states that in any oblique triangle, that the square of one side
of a triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides minus the product of twice
the two sides and the cosine of the angle between them called the included angle.

To find the sides: To find the Angles:

a2 = b2 + c2 – 2bc cos A Cos A = b2 + c2 – a2
2bc
b2 = a2 + c2 – 2ac cos B Cos B = a2 + c2 – b2
2ac
c2 = a2 + b2 – 2ab cos C Cos C = a2 + b2 – c2
2ab

The Law of Cosines is useful for finding:

1. The third side of a triangle when we know two sides and the angle between them.

2. The angles of a triangle when we know all three sides.

FIND ME…. LAW of COSINES

1. Given the triangle below, find its unknown parts.
To solve for A: a = 9 b=5 c=8
1. cos A = b2 + c2 – a2 To solve for C
2bc 3. C = 180⁰  (A + B)
cos A = 52 + 82 – 92 C = 180⁰ – (84⁰ 15’ 38.99” + 33⁰ 33’ 26.32”)
C = 62⁰ 10’ 54.69”
2(5)(8)
cos A = 0.1
A = cos–1 0.1 = 84⁰ 15’ 38.99”

To solve for B:
2. cos B = a2 + c2 – b2 cos B = 0.8333333
2ac B = cos–1 0.833333 = 33⁰Page
33’ 26.32”
14
cos B = 92 + 82 – 52
2(9)(8)
 Solutions of Oblique
TRIGONOMETRY Triangles

2. Find the length of side z on the given triangle below:

To solve for z: x = 9.4 y = 6.5 Z = 131⁰
z
z2 = x2 + y2 – 2xy cos Z
y = 6.5 z2 = 9.42 + 6.52 – 2(9.4)(6.5) cos 131⁰
z2 = 210.78
x = 9.4 z = 14.52

1. A surveyor wishes to find the straight–line distance between two points P and Q on
opposite sides of a hill. Using radar, he finds that the distance from the top of the hill to P is
960 meters and the distance from the top of the hill to Q is 830 meters. The angle between
two lines of sight is measured as 153. Find the distance between P and Q to 2 decimal
digits.
Given: HP = 960 m HQ = 830 m H = 153⁰

PQ2 = HQ2 + HP2 – 2(HQ)(HP) cos H

PQ2 = 8302 + 9602 – 2(830)(960) cos 153⁰
hill PQ2 =3030407.997
153⁰
PQ = 1 740.81 m  1 741 m
960 m 830 m
Point P is 1 741 m away from point Q.

P Q

2. To boat leaves the same port. The first travels NW at 40⁰ at a speed of 60 mph. The
second boat travels SW at 20⁰ and a speed of 45 mph. If both boats leave at the same
time, find the distance between the boats after two hours.
Note:
N
t = 2 hours
60 mi
60 mi speed of the 1st boat = 60 mph
40⁰ speed of the 2nd boat = 45 mph
c20⁰c c P
Q Q

c
Q

d = rt
45 mi
45 mi S
d1 = 60(2) = 120 d2= 45(2) = 90
c

p = distacne between the two boats P = 60⁰

p2 = n2 + s2 – 2ns cos P
p2 = 1202 + 902 – 2(120)(90) cos 60⁰
p2 = 11 700
p = 108.17 mi The two boats are 108.71 mil away from each other

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3. Two airplanes leave an airport at the same time. An hour later, they are 189 km apart. If
one plane travelled 168 kph and the other travelled 224 kph during the hour, find the angle
between their flight paths.
e = 189 km cos E = 2242 + 1682  1892
G
1. F 2(224)(168)
cos E = 0.5670572917
E = cos–1 0.5670572917
E = 55.4547⁰
g = 168 km f = 224 km

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