Precalculus : Use the laws of cosines and sines

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Precalculus

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Use The Laws Of Cosines And Sines

Find the length of the missing side, 

11

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

First, use the Law of Sines to find the measurement of angle 

Recall that all the angles in a triangle need to add up to  degrees.

Now, use the Law of Sines again to find the length of .

 

Example Question #71 : Trigonometric Applications

What is the largest possible angle, measured in degrees, in triangle  if , , and ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In the ambiguous SSA case, use Law of Sines to solve for the angle opposite the given side.

If , then

However! Another possible value of C is

In this case the angles will be .

This is bigger than  and is consequently the answer.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors