Chapter08 - Trigonometry Ratio SOH CAH TOA
Chapter08 - Trigonometry Ratio SOH CAH TOA
Chapter08 - Trigonometry Ratio SOH CAH TOA
8 TRIGONOMETRY
OF THE RIGHT
CHAPTER TRIANGLE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The accurate measurement of land has been a crit-
8-1 The Pythagorean Theorem
ical challenge throughout the history of civilization.
8-2 The Tangent Ratio
Today’s land measurement problems are not unlike
8-3 Applications of the Tangent those George Washington might have solved by using
Ratio
measurements made with a transit, but the modern
8-4 The Sine and Cosine Ratios
surveyor has available a total workstation including
8-5 Applications of the Sine and EDM (electronic distance measuring) and a theodolite
Cosine Ratios
for angle measurement. Although modern instruments
8-6 Solving Problems Using
Trigonometric Ratios
can perform many measurements and calculations, the
surveyor needs to understand the principles of indi-
Chapter Summary
rect measurement and trigonometry to correctly
Vocabulary
interpret and apply these results.
Review Exercises In this chapter, we will begin the study of a branch
Cumulative Review of mathematics called trigonometry. The word
trigonometry is Greek in origin and means “measure-
ment of triangles.” Although the trigonometric func-
tions have applications beyond the study of triangles, in
this chapter we will limit the applications to the study
of right triangles.
300
The Pythagorean Theorem 301
The Pythagorean Theorem In a right triangle, the square of the length of the
hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two
sides.
a b
If we simplify, we obtain the relationship of the
Pythagorean Theorem:
(a b)2 4 A 12 B ab c2
a2 2ab b2 2ab c2 Expand the binomial term (a b)2.
a2 2ab 2ab b2 2ab 2ab c2 Subtract 2ab from both sides of
the equality.
a2 b2 c2
To solve this equation for c, we must do the opposite of squaring, that is, we must
find the square root of 130. There are two square roots of 130, 1"130 and
2"130 which we write as "130.
There are two things that we must consider here when finding the value of c.
1. Since c represents the length of a line segment, only the positive number is
an acceptable value. Therefore, c 1"130.
2. There is no rational number that has a square of 130. The value of c is an
irrational number. However, we usually use a calculator to find a rational
approximation for the irrational number.
DISPLAY:
√(130
11.40175425
Therefore, to the nearest tenth, the length of the hypotenuse is 11.4. Note that
the calculator gives only the positive rational approximation of the square root
of 130.
EXAMPLE 1
A ladder is placed 5 feet from the foot of a wall. The top of the ladder reaches
a point 12 feet above the ground. Find the length of the ladder.
Solution The ladder, the wall, and the ground form a right triangle. The length of the
ladder is c, the length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle. The distance
from the foot of the ladder to the wall is a 5, and the distance from the
ground to the top of the ladder is b 12. Use the Theorem of Pythagoras.
c2 a2 b2
c2 52 122
c2 25 144
c b = 12
c2 169
c 6"169 5 613
Reject the negative value. Note that in this case the
exact value of c is a rational number because 169 is a
perfect square. a=5
EXAMPLE 2
The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 36.0 centimeters long and one leg is 28.5
centimeters long.
a. Find the length of the other leg to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.
b. Find the area of the triangle using the correct number of significant digits.
Solution a. The length of the hypotenuse is c = 36.0 and the length of one leg is
a = 28.5. The length of the other leg is b. Substitute the known values in
the Pythagorean Theorem.
c2 a2 b2
36.02 28.52 b2
1,296 812.25 b2
483.75 b2
6"483.75 b
Since the lengths are given to three significant digits, we will round the area
to three significant digits.
EXAMPLE 3
Solution If the triangle is a right triangle, the longest side, whose measure is 8, must be
the hypotenuse. Then:
c2 a2 b2
?
82 5 72 1 42
?
64 5 49 1 16
64 65 ✘
EXERCISES
Writing About Mathematics
1. A Pythagorean triple is a set of three positive integers that make the equation c2 a2 b2
true. Luz said that 3, 4, and 5 is a Pythagorean triple, and, for any positive integer k, 3k, 4k,
and 5k is also a Pythagorean triple. Do you agree with Luz? Explain why or why not.
2. Regina said that if n is a positive integer, 2n 1, 2n2 2n, and 2n2 2n 1 is a
Pythagorean triple. Do you agree with Regina? Explain why or why not.
Developing Skills
In 3–11, c represents the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle and a and b represent the
lengths of the legs. For each right triangle, find the length of the side whose measure is not given.
3. a 3, b 4 4. a 8, b 15 5. c 10, a 6
6. c 13, a 12 7. c 17, b 15 8. c 25, b 20
In 12–17, c represents the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle and a and b represent the
lengths of the legs. For each right triangle:
a. Express the length of the third side in radical form.
b. Express the length of the third side to the nearest hundredth.
In 18–21, find x in each case and express irrational results in radical form.
18. 19. 20. 21.
2x
00 x
√2 3x
8 x x 6
90°
90° 90° 9 90°
4x x 1
2x
In 22–27, find, in each case, the length of the diagonal of a rectangle whose sides have the given mea-
surements.
22. 7 inches by 24 inches 23. 9 centimeters by 40 centimeters
24. 28 feet by 45 feet 25. 17 meters by 144 meters
26. 15 yards by 20 yards 27. 18 millimeters by 24 millimeters
306 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
28. The diagonal of a rectangle measures 65 centimeters. The length of the rectangle is 33 cen-
timeters. Consider the measurements to be exact.
a. Find the width of the rectangle.
b. Find the area of the rectangle.
29. Approximate, to the nearest inch, the length of a rectangle whose diagonal measures 25.0
inches and whose width is 18.0 inches.
30. The altitude to the base of a triangle measures 17.6 meters. The altitude divides the base
into two parts that are 12.3 meters and 15.6 meters long. What is the perimeter of the trian-
gle to the nearest tenth of a meter?
Applying Skills
31. A ladder 39 feet long leans against a building and reaches the ledge of a window. If the foot
of the ladder is 15 feet from the foot of the building, how high is the window ledge above
the ground to the nearest foot?
32. Mr. Rizzo placed a ladder so that it reached a window 15.0 feet above the ground when the
foot of the ladder was 5.0 feet from the wall. Find the length of the ladder to the nearest
tenth of a foot.
33. Mrs. Culkowski traveled 24.0 kilometers north and then 10.0 kilometers east. How far was
she from her starting point?
34. One day, Ronnie left his home at A and reached his D C
school at C by walking along AB and BC, the sides
of a rectangular open field that was muddy. The
dimensions of the field are 1,212 feet by 885 feet. 885 ft
When he was ready to return home, the field was
dry and Ronnie decided to take a shortcut by walk-
ing diagonally across the field, along AC. To the
nearest whole foot, how much shorter was the trip A B
home than the trip to school?
35. Corry and Torry have a two-way communication device that has a range of one-half mile
(2,640 feet). Torry lives 3 blocks west and 2 blocks north of Corry. If the length of each
block is 600 feet, can Corry and Torry communicate using this device when each is home?
Explain your answer.
36. A baseball diamond has the shape of a square with the bases at the vertices of the square. If
the distance from home plate to first base is 90.0 feet, approximate, to the nearest tenth of a
foot, the distance from home plate to second base.
The Tangent Ratio 307
Naming Sides
In a right triangle, the hypotenuse, which is the longest side, is opposite the right
angle. The other two sides in a right triangle are called the legs. However,
in trigonometry of the right triangle, we call these legs the opposite side and
the adjacent side to describe their relationship to one of the acute angles in
the triangle.
Notice that ABC is the same right triangle in both figures below, but the
position names we apply to the legs change with respect to the angles.
B B
se us
e
enu n
ot side opposite te side adjacent
p po
hy ∠A hy to ∠B
Similar Triangles
Three right triangles are drawn to coincide at vertex A. G
Since each triangle contains a right angle as well as
A, we know that the third angles of each triangle are
congruent. When three angles of one triangle are con- E
gruent to the three angles of another, the triangles are
similar.
The corresponding sides of similar triangles are in C
proportion. Therefore:
CB ED GF
BA 5 DA 5 FA
A B D F
308 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
The similar triangles shown in the previous page, ABC, ADE, and
AFG, are separated and shown below.
G
A B A D A F
In ABC: In ADE: In AFG:
CB is opposite A; ED is opposite A; GF is opposite A;
BA is adjacent to A. DA is adjacent to A. FA is adjacent to A.
B For right triangle ABC, with mC 90, the definition of the tangent of A
is as follows:
c length of side opposite /A BC
a tangent A length of side adjacent to /A AC 5 ab
1 (BC)2 4
2 2
(BC)2 3
BC "3
The measure of each angle of an equilateral triangle is A 1 C 1 D
60°. Therefore we can use the lengths of AC and BC
to find the exact value of the tangent of a 60° angle.
5 "13 5 "3
opp BC
tan 60° adj 5 AC
But how can we find the constant value of the tangent ratio when the right
triangle has an angle of 40° or 76°? Since we want to work with the value of this
ratio for any right triangle, no matter what the measures of the acute angles may
be, mathematicians have compiled tables of the tangent values for angles with
measures from 0° to 90°. Also, a calculator has the ability to display the value of
this ratio for any angle. We will use a calculator to determine these values.
We saw that tan 60° is equal to "3. The calculator will display this value as
an approximate decimal. To find tan 60°, enter the sequence of keys shown below.
DISPLAY:
tan (60)
1.732050808
The value given in the calculator display is the rational approximation of "3,
the value of tan 60° that we found using the ratio of the lengths of the legs of a
right triangle with a 60° angle. Therefore, to the nearest ten-thousandth,
tan 60° 1.7321.
310 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
DISPLAY:
t a n -1 ( 0 . 9 0 0 4 )
41.99987203
EXAMPLE 1
DISPLAY: t a n -1 ( 3 / 4 )
36.86989765
DISPLAY:
t a n -1 ( 4 / 3 )
53.13010235
Note: In a right triangle, the tangents of the two acute angles are reciprocals.
EXERCISES
Writing About Mathematics
1. Explain why the tangent of a 45° angle is 1.
2. Use one of the right triangles formed by drawing an altitude of an equilateral triangle to
find tan 30°. Express the answer that you find to the nearest hundred-thousandth and com-
pare this result to the valued obtained from a calculator.
Developing Skills
In 3–6, find: a. tan A b. tan B
3. B 4. B 5. B 6. A
√18 13 √61 p
3 5 5 k
90° 90° 90° 90°
A C 6 A
A 3 C 12 C B t C
7. In ABC, mC 90, AC 6, and AB 10. Find tan A.
8. In RST, mT 90, RS 13, and ST 12. Find tan S.
In 9–16, use a calculator to find each of the following to the nearest ten-thousandth:
9. tan 10° 10. tan 25° 11. tan 70° 12. tan 55°
13. tan 1° 14. tan 89° 15. tan 36° 16. tan 67°
In 17–28, in each of the following, use a calculator to find the measure of A to the nearest degree.
17. tan A 0.0875 18. tan A 0.3640 19. tan A 0.5543
20. tan A 1.0000 21. tan A 2.0503 22. tan A 3.0777
312 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
Applying Skills
31. In ABC, mC = 90, AC = 6, and BC = 6.
a. Find tan A.
b. Find the measure of A.
32. In ABC, mC = 90, BC = 4, and AC = 9.
a. Find tan A.
b. Find the measure of A to the nearest degree.
c. Find tan B.
d. Find the measure of B to the nearest degree.
33. In rectangle ABCD, AB 10 and BC 5.
a. Find tan CAB.
b. Find the measure of CAB to the nearest degree.
c. Find tan CAD.
d. Find the measure of CAD to the nearest degree.
angles are congruent, namely, HOB ABO. Thus, the angle of elevation
measured from B to O is congruent to the angle of depression measured from
O to B.
Procedure
To solve a problem by using the tangent ratio:
1. For the given problem, make a diagram that includes a right triangle. Label
the known measures of the sides and angles. Identify the unknown quantity
by a variable.
2. If for the right triangle either (1) the lengths of two legs or (2) the length of
one leg and the measure of one acute angle are known, write a formula for
the tangent of an acute angle.
3. Substitute known values in the formula and solve the resulting equation for
the unknown value.
314 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
EXAMPLE 1
Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle of elevation of the sun when
a vertical pole 6.5 meters high casts a shadow 8.3 meters long.
DISPLAY:
t a n -1 ( 6 . 5 / 8 . 3 )
38.0656511
Answer To the nearest degree, the measure of the angle of elevation of the sun is 38°.
EXAMPLE 2
At a point on the ground 39 meters from the foot of a tree, the measure of the
angle of elevation of the top of the tree is 42°. Find the height of the tree to the
nearest meter.
Solution Let T be the top of the tree, A be the foot of the tree, and B be the point on
the ground 39 meters from A. Draw ABT, and label the diagram:
mB 42, AB 39.
Let x height of tree (AT). The height of the T
tree is the length of the perpendicular from the
top of the tree to the ground. Since the problem
involves the measure of an acute angle and the
measures of the legs of a right triangle, use the x
tangent ratio:
opp
tan B adj 42°
AT
tan B BA B 39 m A
x
tan 42° 39 Substitute the given values.
x 39 tan 42° Solve for x.
Use a calculator for the computation: x 35.11575773
EXAMPLE 3
From the top of a lighthouse 165 feet above sea level, the measure of the angle
of depression of a boat at sea is 35.0°. Find to the nearest foot the distance from
the boat to the foot of the lighthouse.
METHOD 1 METHOD 2
Using BLA, BA is the opposite Using LBA, LA is the opposite
side and LA is the adjacent side. side and BA is the adjacent side.
Form the tangent ratio: Form the tangent ratio:
tan BLA BA
LA
LA
tan LBA BA
x
tan 55.0° 165 tan 35.0° 165
x
x 165 tan 55.0° x tan 35.0° 165
x tan165 o
Use a calculator to perform the 35.0
computation. The display will
Use a calculator to perform the
read 235.644421.
computation. The display will
read 235.644421.
Answer To the nearest foot, the boat is 236 feet from the foot of the lighthouse.
EXERCISES
Writing About Mathematics
1. Zack is solving a problem in which the measure of the 64°
angle of depression from the top of a building to a
h
point 85 feet from the foot of the building is 64°. To
find the height of the building, Zack draws the diagram
shown at the right. Explain why Zack’s diagram is
incorrect. 85 ft
316 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
2. Explain why the angle of elevation from point A to point B is always congruent to the angle
of depression from point B to point A.
Developing Skills
In 3–11, in each given triangle, find the length of the side marked x to the nearest foot or the mea-
sure of the angle marked x to the nearest degree.
3. 4. 5.
°
ft
40
18
x
42° x
25 ft
x
65°
13 ft
6. 7. 8. 12 ft
24 ft
10 ft 50 ft
x
55° 60°
x x
9. 9.0 ft
10. 11.
6.0 ft 68°
x 8.0 ft
x
x
8.0 ft
20 ft
Applying Skills
12. At a point on the ground 52 meters from the foot of a tree, the measure of the angle of ele-
vation of the top of the tree is 48°. Find the height of the tree to the nearest meter.
13. A ladder is leaning against a wall. The foot of the ladder is 6.25 feet from the wall. The lad-
der makes an angle of 74.5° with the level ground. How high on the wall does the ladder
reach? Round the answer to the nearest tenth of a foot.
The Sine and Cosine Ratios 317
14. From a point, A, on the ground that is 938 feet from the foot, C, of the Empire State
Building, the angle of elevation of the top, B, of the building has a measure of 57.5°. Find
the height of the building to the nearest ten feet.
15. Find to the nearest meter the height of a building if its shadow is 18 meters long when the
angle of elevation of the sun has a measure of 38°.
16. From the top of a lighthouse 50.0 meters high, the angle of depression of a boat out at sea
has a measure of 15.0°. Find, to the nearest meter, the distance from the boat to the foot of
the lighthouse, which is at sea level.
17. From the top of a school 61 feet high, the measure of the angle of depression to the road in
front of the school is 38°. Find to the nearest foot the distance from the road to the school.
18. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle of elevation of the sun when a student
170 centimeters tall casts a shadow 170 centimeters long.
19. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle of elevation of the sun when a woman
150 centimeters tall casts a shadow 43 centimeters long.
20. A ladder leans against a building. The top of the ladder reaches a point on the building that
is 18 feet above the ground. The foot of the ladder is 7.0 feet from the building. Find to the
nearest degree the measure of the angle that the ladder makes with the level ground.
21. In any rhombus, the diagonals are perpendicular to each other and bisect each other. In
rhombus ABCD, diagonals AC and BD meet at M. If BD 14 and AC 20, find the mea-
sure of each angle to the nearest degree.
a. mBCM b. mMBC c. mABC d. mBCD
DEFINITION
The sine of an acute angle of a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the
side opposite the acute angle to the length of the hypotenuse.
B In right triangle ABC, with mC 90, the definition of the sine of A is:
DEFINITION
The cosine of an acute angle of a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the
side adjacent to the acute angle to the length of the hypotenuse.
B In right triangle ABC, with mC 90, the definition of the cosine of A is:
adj
cos A hyp AC b
AB 5 c
The Sine and Cosine Ratios 319
On a calculator we use the keys labeled SIN and COS to display the
values of the sine and cosine of an angle. The sequence of keys that a calculator
requires for tangent will be the same as the sequence for sine or cosine.
For example, to find sin 50° and cos 50°, we use the following:
DISPLAY: DISPLAY:
sin (50) cos (50)
.7660444431 .6427876097
A calculator will also find the measure of A when sin A or cos A is given.
To do this we use the keys labeled SIN1 and COS1 . These are the second func-
tions of SIN and COS and are accessed by first pressing 2nd . We can
think of the meaning of sin1 as “the angle whose sine is.” Therefore, if sin
A 0.2588, then sin1(0.2588) can be read as “the angle whose sine is 0.2588.”
To find the measure of A from the calculator, we use the following
sequences of keys:
DISPLAY:
s i n -1 ( 0 . 2 5 8 8 )
14.99887031
EXAMPLE 1
Answers
opp BC 7
Solution a. sin A hyp 5 AB 5 25
B
adj AC
b. cos A hyp 5 AB 5 24
25
25
7
opp AC
c. sin B hyp 5 AB 5 24
25 A 24 C
adj
BC 7
d. cos B 5 AB
hyp 5 25
e. Use a calculator. Start with the ratio in part c and use SIN1 or start with
the ratio in part d and use COS1 .
METHOD 1 METHOD 2
24 7
sin B = 25 cos B = 25
) ENTER ) ENTER
DISPLAY: DISPLAY:
sin-1 (24/25) c o s -1 ( 7 / 2 5 )
73.73979529 73.73979529
EXERCISES
Writing About Mathematics
1. If A and B are the acute angles of right triangle ABC, show that sin A cos B.
2. If A is an acute angle of right triangle ABC, explain why it is always true that sin A 1
and cos A 1.
The Sine and Cosine Ratios 321
Developing Skills
In 3–6, find: a. sin A b. cos A c. sin B d. cos B
3. B 4. B 5. A 6. C
13 r 90° k
10 5
6
90° 29
90° 20 A p B
C 12 A
A 8 C
90°
B 21 C
7. In ABC, mC 90, AC 4, and BC 3. Find sin A.
8. In RST, mS 90, RS 5, and ST 12. Find cos T.
In 9–20, for each of the following, use a calculator to find the trigonometric function value to the
nearest ten-thousandth.
9. sin 18° 10. sin 42° 11. sin 58° 12. sin 76°
13. sin 1° 14. sin 89° 15. cos 21° 16. cos 35°
17. cos 40° 18. cos 59° 19. cos 74° 20. cos 88°
In 21–38, for each of the following, use a calculator to find the measure of A to the nearest degree.
21. sin A 0.1908 22. sin A 0.8387 23. sin A 0.3420
24. cos A 0.9397 25. cos A 0.0698 26. cos A 0.8910
27. sin A 0.8910 28. sin A 0.9986 29. cos A 0.9986
30. sin A 0.1900 31. cos A 0.9750 32. sin A 0.8740
33. cos A 0.8545 34. sin A 0.5800 35. cos A 0.5934
36. cos A 0.2968 37. sin A 0.1275 38. cos A 0.8695
39. a. Use a calculator to find sin 25° and sin 50°.
b. If the measure of an angle is doubled, is the sine of the angle also doubled?
40. a. Use a calculator to find cos 25° and cos 50°.
b. If the measure of an angle is doubled, is the cosine of the angle also doubled?
41. As an angle increases in measure from 1° to 89°:
a. Does the sine of the angle increase or decrease?
b. Does the cosine of the angle increase or decrease?
322 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
In 42 and 43, complete each sentence by replacing ? with a degree measure that makes the sentence
true.
42. a. sin 70° cos ? 43. a. cos 50° sin ?
b. sin 23° cos ? b. cos 17° sin ?
c. sin 38° cos ? c. cos 82° sin ?
d. sin x° cos ? d. cos x° sin ?
Applying Skills
44. In ABC, mC 90, BC = 20, and BA 40.
a. Find sin A. b. Find the measure of A.
45. In ABC, mC 90, AC 40, and AB 80.
a. Find cos A. b. Find the measure of A.
46. In ABC, C is a right angle, AC 8, BC 15, and AB 17. Find:
a. sin A b. cos A c. sin B d. cos B
e. the measure of A to the nearest degree
f. the measure of B to the nearest degree
47. In RST, mT 90, ST 11, RT 60, and RS 61. Find:
a. sin R b. cos R c. sin S d. cos S
e. the measure of R to the nearest degree
f. the measure of S to the nearest degree
EXAMPLE 1
While flying a kite, Betty lets out 322 feet of string. When the string is secured
to the ground, it makes an angle of 38.0° with the ground. To the nearest foot,
what is the height of the kite above the ground? (Assume that the string is
stretched so that it is straight.)
METHOD 1 METHOD 2
Answer The height of the kite to the nearest foot is 198 feet.
324 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
EXAMPLE 2
A wire reaches from the top of a pole to a stake in the ground 3.5 meters from
the foot of the pole. The wire makes an angle of 65° with the ground. Find to the
nearest tenth of a meter the length of the wire.
Answer The wire is 8.3 meters long to the nearest tenth of a meter.
EXAMPLE 3
A ladder 25 feet long leans against a building and reaches a point 23.5 feet
above the ground. Find to the nearest degree the angle that the ladder makes
with the ground.
DISPLAY:
s i n -1 ( 2 3 . 5 / 2 5 . 0 )
70.05155641
EXERCISES
Writing About Mathematics
1. Brittany said that for all acute angles, A, (tan A)(cos A) sin A. Do you agree with
Brittany? Explain why or why not.
2. Pearl said that as the measure of an acute angle increases from 1° to 89°, the sine of the
angle increases and the cosine of the angle decreases. Therefore, cos A is the reciprocal of
sin A. Do you agree with Pearl? Explain why or why not.
In 3–11, find to the nearest centimeter the length of the side marked x.
3. 4. x 5. x
55.0°
cm
22 x 124 65.0°
14
cm
3c
40°
m
6. 7. 8.
c m x
31 x
38° 15 cm
38°
x 45 cm
55°
9. 10. m 11.
25 c
71° 61°
x x 32 cm
45°
15 cm 40.0°
x
In 12–15, find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle marked x.
12. 13. 14. 15 ft 15.
24 ft x 12 ft
10.5 ft 12 ft
x 21 ft x
x 18 ft
8.0 ft
Applying Skills
16. A wooden beam 6.0 meters long leans against a wall and makes an angle of 71° with the
ground. Find to the nearest tenth of a meter how high up the wall the beam reaches.
326 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
17. A boy flying a kite lets out 392 feet of string, which makes an angle of 52° with the ground.
Assuming that the string is tied to the ground, find to the nearest foot how high the kite is
above the ground.
18. A ladder that leans against a building makes an angle of 75° with the ground and reaches a
point on the building 9.7 meters above the ground. Find to the nearest meter the length of
the ladder.
19. From an airplane that is flying at an altitude of 3,500 feet, the angle of depression of an air-
port ground signal measures 27°. Find to the nearest hundred feet the distance between the
airplane and the airport signal.
20. A 22-foot pole that is leaning against a wall reaches a point that is 18 feet above the
ground. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle that the pole makes with the
ground.
21. To reach the top of a hill that is 1.0 kilometer high, one must travel 8.0 kilometers up a
straight road that leads to the top. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle that
the road makes with the horizontal.
22. A 25-foot ladder leans against a building and makes an angle of 72° with the ground. Find
to the nearest foot the distance between the foot of the ladder and the building.
23. A wire 2.4 meters in length is attached from the top of a post to a stake in the ground. The
measure of the angle that the wire makes with the ground is 35°. Find to the nearest tenth
of a meter the distance from the stake to the foot of the post.
24. An airplane rises at an angle of 14° with the ground. Find to the nearest hundred feet
the distance the airplane has flown when it has covered a horizontal distance of
1,500 feet.
25. A kite string makes an angle of 43° with the ground. The string is staked to a point 104
meters from a point on the ground directly below the kite. Find to the nearest meter the
length of the kite string, which is stretched taut.
26. The top of a 43-foot ladder touches a point on the wall that is 36 feet above the
ground. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle that the ladder makes with
the wall.
28. A playground has the shape of an isosceles trapezoid ABCD. The length of the shorter base,
CD, is 185 feet. The length of each of the equal sides is 115 feet and mA 65.0.
a. Find DE, the length of the altitude from D, to the nearest foot.
b. Find AE, to the nearest tenth of a foot.
c. Find AB, to the nearest foot.
d. What is the area of the playground to the nearest hundred square feet?
e. What is the perimeter of the playground?
29. What is the area of a rhombus, to the nearest ten square feet, if the measure of one side is
43.7 centimeters and the measure of one angle is 78.0°?
30. A roofer wants to reach the roof of a house that is 21 feet above the ground. The measure
of the steepest angle that a ladder can make with the house when it is placed directly under
the roof is 27°. Find the length of the shortest ladder that can be used to reach the roof, to
the nearest foot.
Procedure
To solve a problem by using trigonometric ratios:
1. Draw the right triangle described in the problem.
2. Label the sides and angles with the given values.
3. Assign a variable to represent the measure to be determined.
4. Select the appropriate trigonometric ratio.
5. Substitute in the trigonometric ratio, and solve the resulting equation.
EXAMPLE 1
EXERCISES
Writing About Mathematics
1. If the measures of two sides of a right triangle are given, it is possible to find the measures
of the third side and of the acute angles. Explain how you would find these measures.
2. If the measures of the acute angles of a right triangle are given, is it possible to find the
measures of the sides? Explain why or why not.
Solving Problems Using Trigonometric Ratios 329
Developing Skills
In 3–10: In each given right triangle, find to the nearest foot the length of the side marked x; or find
to the nearest degree the measure of the angle marked x. Assume that each measure is given to the
nearest foot or to the nearest degree.
3. 4. 5. x 6.
41°
x
37° x 33 ft 25 ft 35 ft
22 ft
65°
60°
x
7. 8. 12 ft 9. 24 ft 10. x
x x 8.0 ft
x 35°
ft
18 ft 19
15 ft
12 ft
11. In ABC, mA 42, AB 14, and BD is the altitude to AC. Find BD to the nearest tenth.
12. In ABC, AC > BC, mA 50, and AB 30. Find to the nearest tenth the length of the
altitude from vertex C.
13. The legs of a right triangle measure 84 and 13. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the
smallest angle of this triangle.
14. The length of hypotenuse AB of right triangle ABC is twice the length of leg BC. Find the
number of degrees in B.
15. The longer side of a rectangle measures 10, and a diagonal makes an angle of 27° with this
side. Find to the nearest integer the length of the shorter side.
16. In rectangle ABCD, diagonal AC measures 11 and side AB measures 7. Find to the nearest
degree the measure of CAB.
17. In right triangle ABC, CD is the altitude to hypotenuse AB, AB 25, and AC 20. Find
lengths AD, DB, and CD to the nearest integer and the measure of B to the nearest degree.
18. The lengths of the diagonals of a rhombus are 10 and 24.
a. Find the perimeter of the rhombus.
b. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle that the longer diagonal makes
with a side of the rhombus.
19. The altitude to the hypotenuse of a right triangle ABC divides the hypotenuse into seg-
ments whose measures are 9 and 4. The measure of the altitude is 6. Find to the nearest
degree the measure of the smaller acute angle of ABC.
330 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
22. The diagonals of a rectangle each measure 198 and intersect at an angle whose measure is
110°. Find to the nearest integer the length and width of the rectangle. Hint: The diagonals of
a rectangle bisect each other.
23. In rhombus ABCD, the measure of diagonal AC is 80 and mBAC = 42.
a. Find to the nearest integer the length of diagonal BD.
b. Find to the nearest integer the length of a side of the rhombus.
24. In right triangle ABC, the length of hypotenuse AB is 100 and mA 18.
a. Find AC and BC to the nearest integer.
b. Show that the results of part a are approximately correct by using the relationship
(AB)2 = (AC)2 + (BC)2.
Applying Skills
25. Find to the nearest meter the height of a church spire that casts a shadow of 53.0 meters
when the angle of elevation of the sun measures 68.0°.
26. From the top of a lighthouse 194 feet high, the angle of depression of a boat out at sea mea-
sures 34.0°. Find to the nearest foot the distance from the boat to the foot of the lighthouse.
27. A straight road to the top of a hill is 2,500 meters long and makes an angle of 12° with the
horizontal. Find to the nearest ten meters the height of the hill.
28. A wire attached to the top of a pole reaches a stake in the ground 21 feet from the foot of
the pole and makes an angle of 58° with the ground. Find to the nearest foot the length of
the wire.
29. An airplane climbs at an angle of 11° with the ground. Find to the nearest hundred feet the
distance the airplane has traveled when it has attained an altitude of 450 feet.
30. Find to the nearest degree the measure of the angle of elevation of the sun if a child 88 cen-
timeters tall casts a shadow 180 centimeters long.
Chapter Summary 331
CHAPTER SUMMARY
The Pythagorean Theorem relates the lengths of the sides of a right trian-
gle. If the lengths of the legs of a right triangle are a and b, and the length of the
hypotenuse is c, then c2 a2 b2.
The trigonometric functions associate the measure of each acute angle A
with a number that is the ratio of the measures of two sides of a right triangle.
The three most commonly used trigonometric functions are sine, cosine, and
tangent. In the application of trigonometry to the right triangle, these ratios are
defined as follows:
VOCABULARY
8-1 Trigonometry • Direct measurement • Indirect measurement •
Pythagorean Theorem • Pythagorean triple
8-2 Opposite side • Adjacent side • Similar • Tangent of an acute angle of a
right triangle
8-3 Angle of elevation • Angle of depression
8-4 Sine of an acute angle of a right triangle • Cosine of an acute angle of a
right triangle
REVIEW EXERCISES
1. Talia’s calculator is not functioning properly and does not give the correct
value when she uses the TAN key. Assume that all other keys of the
calculator are operating correctly.
a. Explain how Talia can find the measure of the leg AC of right triangle
ABC when BC 4.5 and mA 43.
b. Explain how Talia can use her calculator to find the tangent of any
acute angle, given the measure of one side of a right triangle and the
measure of an acute angle as in part a.
2. Jill made the following entry on her calculator:
ENTER: 2nd SIN1 1.5 ) ENTER
In 3–8, refer to RST and express the value of each ratio as a fraction.
3. sin R 4. tan T T
17
5. sin T 6. cos R 8
7. cos T 8. tan R R 15 S
Review Exercises 333
In 9–12: in each given triangle, find to the nearest centimeter the length of
the side marked x. Assume that each given length is correct to the nearest
centimeter.
9. 10. x
cm x
40
18 cm
42°
35°
11. 12.
x
24°
54°
x
50 cm
41 cm
13. If cos A sin 30° and 0° A 90°, what is the measure of A?
14. In right triangle ACB, mC 90, mA 66, and AC 100. Find BC to
the nearest integer.
15. In right triangle ABC, mC 90, mB 28, and BC 30. Find AB to
the nearest integer.
16. In ABC, mC 90, tan A 0.7, and AC 40. Find BC.
17. In ABC, mC 90, AB 30, and BC 15. What is the measure, in
degrees, of A?
18. In ABC, mC 90, BC 5, and AC 9. Find to the nearest degree the
measure of A.
19. Find to the nearest meter the height of a building if its shadow is 42 meters
long when the angle of elevation of the sun measures 42°.
20. A 5-foot wire attached to the top of a tent pole reaches a stake in the
ground 3 feet from the foot of the pole. Find to the nearest degree the
measure of the angle made by the wire with the ground.
21. While flying a kite, Doris let out 425 feet of string. Assuming that the
string is stretched taut and makes an angle of 48° with the ground, find to
the nearest ten feet how high the kite is.
22. A rectangular field ABCD is crossed by a path from A to C.
If mBAC 62 and BC 84 yards, find to the nearest yard:
a. the width of the field, AB. b. the length of path, AC.
334 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
23. Find the length of a leg of an isosceles right triangle if the length of the
hypotenuse is "72.
24. The measure of each of the base angles of an isosceles triangle is 15
degrees more than twice the measure of the vertex angle.
a. Find the measure of each angle of the triangle.
b. Find to the nearest tenth of a centimeter the measure of each of the
equal sides of the triangle if the measure of the altitude to the base is
88.0 centimeters.
c. Find to the nearest tenth of a centimeter the measure of the base of the
triangle.
d. Find the perimeter of the triangle.
e. Find the area of the triangle.
25. ABCD is a rectangle with E a point on BC. AB 12, BE 5, and EC 9.
a. Find the perimeter of triangle AED.
b. Find the area of triangle AED.
c. Find the measure of /CDE.
d. Find the measure of BAE.
e. Find the measure of AED.
Exploration
A regular polygon with n sides can be divided into n congruent isosceles triangles.
a. Express, in terms of n, the measure of the vertex angle of one of the
isosceles triangles.
b. Express, in terms of n, the measure of a base angle of one of the isosceles
triangles.
c. Let s be the measure of a side of the regular polygon. Express, in terms of n
and s, the measure of the altitude to the base of one of the isosceles triangles.
d. Express the area of one of the isosceles triangles in terms of n and s.
e. Write a formula for the area of a regular polygon in terms of the measure
of a side, s, and the number of sides, n.
Part I
Answer all questions in this part. Each correct answer will receive 2 credits. No
partial credit will be allowed.
Cumulative Review 335
Part II
Answer all questions in this part. Each correct answer will receive 2 credits.
Clearly indicate the necessary steps, including appropriate formula substitu-
tions, diagrams, graphs, charts, etc. For all questions in this part, a correct numer-
ical answer with no work shown will receive only 1 credit.
336 Trigonometry of the Right Triangle
11. The vertices of pentagon ABCDE are A(2, 2), B(7, 2), C(7, 5), D(0, 5),
E(2, 0).
a. Draw pentagon ABCDE on graph paper.
b. Find the area of the pentagon.
12. In ABC, mC = 90, mB = 30, AC 5 6x2 2 4x, and AB 5 2x. Find the
value of x.
Part III
Answer all questions in this part. Each correct answer will receive 3 credits.
Clearly indicate the necessary steps, including appropriate formula substitu-
tions, diagrams, graphs, charts, etc. For all questions in this part, a correct numer-
ical answer with no work shown will receive only 1 credit.
13. Plank Road and Holt Road are perpendicular to each other. At a point 1.3
miles before the intersection of Plank and Holt, State Street crosses Plank at
an angle of 57°. How far from the intersection of Plank and Holt will State
Street intersect Holt? Write your answer to the nearest tenth of a mile.
14. Benny, Carlos, and Danny each play a different sport and have different
career plans. Each of the four statements given below is true.
The boy who plays baseball plans to be an engineer.
Benny wants to be a lawyer.
Carlos plays soccer.
The boy who plans to be a doctor does not play basketball.
What are the career plans of each boy and what sport does he play?
Part IV
Answer all questions in this part. Each correct answer will receive 4 credits.
Clearly indicate the necessary steps, including appropriate formula substitu-
tions, diagrams, graphs, charts, etc. For all questions in this part, a correct numer-
ical answer with no work shown will receive only 1 credit.
15. Bart wants to plant a garden around the base of a tree. To determine the
amount of topsoil he will need to enrich his garden, he measured the cir-
cumference of the tree and found it to be 9.5 feet. His garden will be 2.0
feet wide, in the form of a ring around the tree. Find to the nearest square
foot the surface area of the garden Bart intends to plant.
16. Samantha had a snapshot that is 3.75 inches wide and 6.5 inches high. She
cut a strip off of the top of the snapshot so that an enlargement will fit
into a frame that measures 5 inches by 8 inches. What were the dimensions
of the strip that she cut off of the original snapshot?