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Explain the relationship between the Pythagorean Theorem and the Law of Cosines.

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When must you use the Law of Cosines instead of the Pythagorean Theorem?

The Law of Cosines must be used for any oblique (non-right) triangle.

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Algebraic

For the following exercises, assume α is opposite side a , β is opposite side b , and γ is opposite side c . If possible, solve each triangle for the unknown side. Round to the nearest tenth.

γ = 41.2° , a = 2.49 , b = 3.13

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α = 120° , b = 6 , c = 7

11.3

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β = 58.7° , a = 10.6 , c = 15.7

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γ = 115° , a = 18 , b = 23

34.7

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α = 119° , a = 26 , b = 14

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γ = 113° , b = 10 , c = 32

26.7

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β = 67° , a = 49 , b = 38

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α = 43.1° , a = 184.2 , b = 242.8

257.4

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α = 36.6° , a = 186.2 , b = 242.2

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β = 50° , a = 105 , b = 45

not possible

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For the following exercises, use the Law of Cosines to solve for the missing angle of the oblique triangle. Round to the nearest tenth.

a = 42 , b = 19 , c = 30 ; find angle A .

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a = 14 ,   b = 13 ,   c = 20 ; find angle C .

95.5°

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a = 16 , b = 31 , c = 20 ; find angle B .

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a = 13 , b = 22 , c = 28 ; find angle A .

26.9°

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a = 108 , b = 132 , c = 160 ; find angle C .

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For the following exercises, solve the triangle. Round to the nearest tenth.

A = 35° , b = 8 , c = 11

B 45.9° , C 99.1° , a 6.4

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B = 88° , a = 4.4 , c = 5.2

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C = 121° , a = 21 , b = 37

A 20.6° , B 38.4° , c 51.1

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a = 13 , b = 11 , c = 15

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a = 3.1 , b = 3.5 , c = 5

A 37.8° , B 43.8 , C 98.4°

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a = 51 , b = 25 , c = 29

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For the following exercises, use Heron’s formula to find the area of the triangle. Round to the nearest hundredth.

Find the area of a triangle with sides of length 18 in, 21 in, and 32 in. Round to the nearest tenth.

177.56 in 2

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Find the area of a triangle with sides of length 20 cm, 26 cm, and 37 cm. Round to the nearest tenth.

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a = 1 2 m , b = 1 3 m , c = 1 4 m

0.04 m 2

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a = 12.4  ft ,   b = 13.7  ft ,   c = 20.2  ft

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a = 1.6  yd ,   b = 2.6  yd ,   c = 4.1  yd

0.91 yd 2

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Graphical

For the following exercises, find the length of side x . Round to the nearest tenth.

For the following exercises, find the measurement of angle A .

Find the measure of each angle in the triangle shown in [link] . Round to the nearest tenth.

A triangle A B C. Angle A is opposite a side of length 10, angle B is opposite a side of length 12, and angle C is opposite a side of length 7.
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For the following exercises, solve for the unknown side. Round to the nearest tenth.

For the following exercises, find the area of the triangle. Round to the nearest hundredth.

Extensions

A parallelogram has sides of length 16 units and 10 units. The shorter diagonal is 12 units. Find the measure of the longer diagonal.

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The sides of a parallelogram are 11 feet and 17 feet. The longer diagonal is 22 feet. Find the length of the shorter diagonal.

18.3

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The sides of a parallelogram are 28 centimeters and 40 centimeters. The measure of the larger angle is 100°. Find the length of the shorter diagonal.

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A regular octagon is inscribed in a circle with a radius of 8 inches. (See [link] .) Find the perimeter of the octagon.

An octagon inscribed in a circle.

48.98

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A regular pentagon is inscribed in a circle of radius 12 cm. (See [link] .) Find the perimeter of the pentagon. Round to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.

A pentagon inscribed in a circle.
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For the following exercises, suppose that x 2 = 25 + 36 60 cos ( 52 ) represents the relationship of three sides of a triangle and the cosine of an angle.

Find the length of the third side.

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For the following exercises, find the area of the triangle.

Questions & Answers

calculate molarity of NaOH solution when 25.0ml of NaOH titrated with 27.2ml of 0.2m H2SO4
Gasin Reply
what's Thermochemistry
rhoda Reply
the study of the heat energy which is associated with chemical reactions
Kaddija
How was CH4 and o2 was able to produce (Co2)and (H2o
Edafe Reply
explain please
Victory
First twenty elements with their valences
Martine Reply
what is chemistry
asue Reply
what is atom
asue
what is the best way to define periodic table for jamb
Damilola Reply
what is the change of matter from one state to another
Elijah Reply
what is isolation of organic compounds
IKyernum Reply
what is atomic radius
ThankGod Reply
Read Chapter 6, section 5
Dr
Read Chapter 6, section 5
Kareem
Atomic radius is the radius of the atom and is also called the orbital radius
Kareem
atomic radius is the distance between the nucleus of an atom and its valence shell
Amos
Read Chapter 6, section 5
paulino
Bohr's model of the theory atom
Ayom Reply
is there a question?
Dr
when a gas is compressed why it becomes hot?
ATOMIC
It has no oxygen then
Goldyei
read the chapter on thermochemistry...the sections on "PV" work and the First Law of Thermodynamics should help..
Dr
Which element react with water
Mukthar Reply
Mgo
Ibeh
an increase in the pressure of a gas results in the decrease of its
Valentina Reply
definition of the periodic table
Cosmos Reply
What is the lkenes
Da Reply
what were atoms composed of?
Moses Reply
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Source:  OpenStax, Precalculus. OpenStax CNX. Jan 19, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11667/1.6
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