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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

how does the planets on our solar system orbit
cheten Reply
how many Messier objects are there in space
satish Reply
did you g8ve certificate
Richard Reply
what are astronomy
Issan Reply
Astronomy (from Ancient Greek ἀστρονομία (astronomía) 'science that studies the laws of the stars') is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution.
Rafael
vjuvu
Elgoog
what is big bang theory?
Rosemary
what type of activity astronomer do?
Rosemary
No
Richard
the big bang theory is a theory which states that all matter was compressed together in one place the matter got so unstable it exploded releasing All its contents in the form of hydrogen
Roaul
I want to be an astronomer. That's my dream
Astrit
Who named the the whole galaxy?
Shola Reply
solar Univers
GPOWER
what is space
Richard
what is the dark matter
Richard
what are the factors upon which the atmosphere is stratified
Nicholas Reply
is the big bang the sun
Folakemi Reply
no
Sokak
bigbang is the beginning of the universe
Sokak
but thats just a theory
Sokak
nothing will happen, don't worry brother.
Vansh
what does comet means
GANGAIN Reply
these are Rocky substances between mars and jupiter
GANGAIN
Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases , rock and dust that orbit the sun. They are mostly found between the orbits of Venus and Mercury.
Aarya
hllo
John
hi
John
qt rrt
John
r u there
John
hey can anyone guide me abt international astronomy olympiad
sahil
how can we learn right and true ?
Govinda Reply
why the moon is always appear in an elliptical shape
Gatjuol Reply
Because when astroid hit the Earth then a piece of elliptical shape of the earth was separated which is now called moon.
Hemen
what's see level?
lidiya Reply
Did you mean eye sight or sea level
Minal
oh sorry it's sea level
lidiya
according to the theory of astronomers why the moon is always appear in an elliptical orbit?
Gatjuol
hi !!! I am new in astronomy.... I have so many questions in mind .... all of scientists of the word they just give opinion only. but they never think true or false ... i respect all of them... I believes whole universe depending on true ...থিউরি
Govinda
hello
Jackson
hi
Elyana
we're all stars and galaxies a part of sun. how can science prove thx with respect old ancient times picture or books..or anything with respect to present time .but we r a part of that universe
w astronomy and cosmology!
Michele
another theory of universe except big ban
Albash Reply
how was universe born
Asmit Reply
there many theory to born universe but what is the reality of big bang theory to born universe
Asmit
what is the exact value of π?
Nagalakshmi
by big bang
universal
there are many theories regarding this it's on you believe any theory that you think is true ex. eternal inflation theory, oscillation model theory, multiple universe theory the big bang theory etc.
Aarya
I think after Big Bang!
Michele
from where on earth could u observe all the stars during the during the course of an year
Karuna Reply
I think it couldn't possible on earth
Nagalakshmi
in this time i don't Know
Michele
is that so. the question was in the end of this chapter
Karuna
in theory, you could see them all from the equator (though over the course of a year, not at pne time). stars are measured in "declination", which is how far N or S of the equator (90* to -90*). Polaris is the North star, and is ALMOST 90* (+89*). So it would just barely creep over the horizon.
Christopher
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Source:  OpenStax, Algebra and trigonometry. OpenStax CNX. Nov 14, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11758/1.6
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