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Section 6.2 Law of Cosines 439

6.2 Law of Cosines

What you should learn
• Use the Law of Cosines to
Introduction
solve oblique triangles (SSS Two cases remain in the list of conditions needed to solve an oblique triangle—
or SAS). SSS and SAS. If you are given three sides (SSS), or two sides and their included
• Use the Law of Cosines to angle (SAS), none of the ratios in the Law of Sines would be complete. In such
model and solve real-life cases, you can use the Law of Cosines.
problems.
• Use Heron’s Area Formula to
find the area of a triangle. Law of Cosines
Standard Form Alternative Form
Why you should learn it
b2  c 2  a 2
You can use the Law of Cosines a 2  b2  c 2  2bc cos A cos A 
to solve real-life problems 2bc
involving oblique triangles. a 2  c 2  b2
For instance, in Exercise 31 on b2  a 2  c 2  2ac cos B cos B 
2ac
page 444, you can use the Law
of Cosines to approximate the a 2  b2  c 2
length of a marsh. c 2  a 2  b2  2ab cos C cos C 
2ab

For a proof of the Law of Cosines, see Proofs in Mathematics on page 490.

Example 1 Three Sides of a Triangle—SSS

Find the three angles of the triangle in Figure 6.11.

B

a = 8 ft c = 14 ft

C b = 19 ft A

FIGURE 6.11
© Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis Solution
It is a good idea first to find the angle opposite the longest side—side b in this
case. Using the alternative form of the Law of Cosines, you find that
a 2  c 2  b2 82  142  192
cos B  
0.45089.
2ac 2814
Because cos B is negative, you know that B is an obtuse angle given by
B
116.80
. At this point, it is simpler to use the Law of Sines to determine A.

   
sin B sin 116.80

sin A  a
8
0.37583
b 19
In cases where the Law of Cosines must
be used, encourage your students to Because B is obtuse, A must be acute, because a triangle can have, at most, one
solve for the largest angle first, then obtuse angle. So, A
22.08
and C
180
 22.08
 116.80
 41.12
.
finish the problem using either the Law
of Sines or the Law of Cosines. Now try Exercise 1.
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440 Chapter 6 Additional Topics in Trigonometry

Do you see why it was wise to find the largest angle first in Example 1?
Exploration Knowing the cosine of an angle, you can determine whether the angle is acute or
What familiar formula do you obtuse. That is,
obtain when you use the third cos  > 0 for 0
<  < 90
Acute
form of the Law of Cosines
cos  < 0 for 90
<  < 180
. Obtuse
c2  a 2  b2  2ab cos C
So, in Example 1, once you found that angle B was obtuse, you knew that angles
and you let C  90
? What is A and C were both acute. If the largest angle is acute, the remaining two angles
the relationship between are acute also.
the Law of Cosines and this
formula?
Example 2 Two Sides and the Included Angle—SAS

Find the remaining angles and side of the triangle in Figure 6.12.

a
b = 15 cm

115°
A c = 10 cm B

FIGURE 6.12

Solution
Use the Law of Cosines to find the unknown side a in the figure.
a 2  b2  c2  2bc cos A
a 2  152  102  21510 cos 115

a 2
451.79
a
21.26
Because a
21.26 centimeters, you now know the ratio sin Aa and you can use
the reciprocal form of the Law of Sines to solve for B.
sin B sin A

b a
When solving an oblique
triangle given three sides, you
use the alternative form of the
sin B  b sina A
Law of Cosines to solve for an
angle. When solving an oblique  15 sin21.26
115


triangle given two sides and their
included angle, you use the
0.63945
standard form of the Law of So, B  arcsin 0.63945
39.75
and C
180
 115
 39.75
 25.25
.
Cosines to solve for an unknown.
Now try Exercise 3.
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Section 6.2 Law of Cosines 441

Applications

Example 3 An Application of the Law of Cosines

60 ft 60 ft The pitcher’s mound on a women’s softball field is 43 feet from home plate and
the distance between the bases is 60 feet, as shown in Figure 6.13. (The pitcher’s
mound is not halfway between home plate and second base.) How far is the
P h
F pitcher’s mound from first base?

f = 43 ft Solution
In triangle HPF, H  45
(line HP bisects the right angle at H ), f  43, and
45° p = 60 ft
60 ft p  60. Using the Law of Cosines for this SAS case, you have
h2  f 2  p 2  2fp cos H
H
 432  602  24360 cos 45º
1800.3
FIGURE 6.13
So, the approximate distance from the pitcher’s mound to first base is
h
1800.3
42.43 feet.
Now try Exercise 31.

Example 4 An Application of the Law of Cosines

A ship travels 60 miles due east, then adjusts its course northward, as shown in
Figure 6.14. After traveling 80 miles in that direction, the ship is 139 miles from
its point of departure. Describe the bearing from point B to point C.

N
W E C
i
S b = 139 m
0 mi
B a=8
A
c = 60 mi

FIGURE 6.14

Solution
You have a  80, b  139, and c  60; so, using the alternative form of the Law
of Cosines, you have
a 2  c 2  b2
cos B 
2ac
802  602  1392

28060

0.97094.
So, B
arccos0.97094
166.15
, and thus the bearing measured from due
north from point B to point C is 166.15
 90
 76.15
, or N 76.15
E.
Now try Exercise 37.
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442 Chapter 6 Additional Topics in Trigonometry

Historical Note Heron’s Area Formula

Heron of Alexandria (c. 100 B.C.) The Law of Cosines can be used to establish the following formula for the
was a Greek geometer and area of a triangle. This formula is called Heron’s Area Formula after the Greek
inventor. His works describe mathematician Heron (c. 100 B.C.).
how to find the areas of
triangles, quadrilaterals,
Heron’s Area Formula
regular polygons having 3 to
12 sides, and circles as well as Given any triangle with sides of lengths a, b, and c, the area of the
the surface areas and volumes triangle is
of three-dimensional objects. Area  ss  as  bs  c
where s  a  b  c2.

For a proof of Heron’s Area Formula, see Proofs in Mathematics on page 491.

Activities Example 5 Using Heron’s Area Formula

1. Determine whether the Law of Sines
or the Law of Cosines is needed to Find the area of a triangle having sides of lengths a  43 meters, b  53 meters,
solve each of the triangles.
and c  72 meters.
a. A  15
, B  58
, c  94
b. a  96, b  43, A  105
Solution
c. a  24, b  16, c  29 Because s  a  b  c2  1682  84, Heron’s Area Formula yields
d. a  15, c  42, B  49

Area  ss  as  bs  c
Answer: a. Law of Sines,
b. Law of Sines, c. Law of Cosines,  84413112
1131.89 square meters.
d. Law of Cosines
2. Solve the triangle: a  31, b  52, Now try Exercise 47.
c  28.
Answer: A  29.8
, B  123.5
, You have now studied three different formulas for the area of a triangle.
C  26.7

3. Use Heron’s Area Formula to find the Standard Formula Area  12 bh
area of a triangle with sides of
Oblique Triangle Area  12 bc sin A  12 ab sin C  12 ac sin B
lengths a  31, b  52, and c  28.
Answer: Area
361.8 square units Heron’s Area Formula Area  ss  as  bs  c

W RITING ABOUT MATHEMATICS

The Area of a Triangle Use the most appropriate formula to find the area of each
triangle below. Show your work and give your reasons for choosing each formula.

a. b.
2 ft 2 ft 3 ft

50°
Writing About Mathematics 4 ft 4 ft
Suggestion:
c. d.
You may want to ask students to draw
the diagram of a triangle (labeling 3 ft 4 ft
whatever sides and/or angles are 2 ft
necessary) that is well-suited to each
area formula. Then ask students to
exchange triangles with a partner to 4 ft 5 ft
find the area of each.
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Section 6.2 Law of Cosines 443

6.2 Exercises
VOCABULARY CHECK: Fill in the blanks.
1. If you are given three sides of a triangle, you would use the Law of ________ to find
the three angles of the triangle.
a2  c2  b2
2. The standard form of the Law of Cosines for cos B  is ________ .
2ac
3. The Law of Cosines can be used to establish a formula for finding the area of a triangle
called ________ ________ Formula.
PREREQUISITE SKILLS REVIEW: Practice and review algebra skills needed for this section at www.Eduspace.com.

In Exercises 1–16, use the Law of Cosines to solve the a b c d  

triangle. Round your answers to two decimal places.
17. 5 8

45


1. C 2.
b=3
C 18. 25 35


120

b = 10 a=8
a=7 19. 10 14 20



A
A
c = 15
B c=9 B 20. 40 60
80


3. 4.
21. 15
25 20


b = 15
C
a b = 4.5
C
a = 10
22.
25 50 35


30° 105°
A c = 30 B A B In Exercises 23–28, use Heron’s Area Formula to find the
c
area of the triangle.
5. a  11, b  14, c  20
23. a  5, b  7, c  10
6. a  55, b  25, c  72
24. a  12, b  15, c  9
7. a  75.4, b  52, c  52
25. a  2.5, b  10.2, c  9
8. a  1.42, b  0.75, c  1.25
26. a  75.4, b  52, c  52
9. A  135
, b  4, c  9
27. a  12.32, b  8.46, c  15.05
10. A  55
, b  3, c  10
28. a  3.05, b  0.75, c  2.45
11. B  10
35, a  40, c  30
12. B  75
20, a  6.2, c  9.5 29. Navigation A boat race runs along a triangular course
13. B  125
40 , a  32, c  32 marked by buoys A, B, and C. The race starts with the boats
14. C  15
15, a  6.25, b  2.15 headed west for 3700 meters. The other two sides of the
course lie to the north of the first side, and their lengths are
a  49, 7
15. C  43
, b 9 1700 meters and 3000 meters. Draw a figure that gives a
a  38, 3
16. C  103
, b4 visual representation of the problem, and find the bearings
for the last two legs of the race.
In Exercises 17–22, complete the table by solving the 30. Navigation A plane flies 810 miles from Franklin to
parallelogram shown in the figure. (The lengths of the Centerville with a bearing of 75
. Then it flies 648 miles
diagonals are given by c and d.) from Centerville to Rosemount with a bearing of 32
.
Draw a figure that visually represents the problem, and
find the straight-line distance and bearing from Franklin to
c Rosemount.
φ
a
θ d

b
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444 Chapter 6 Additional Topics in Trigonometry

31. Surveying To approximate the length of a marsh, a 37. Navigation On a map, Orlando is 178 millimeters due
surveyor walks 250 meters from point A to point B, then south of Niagara Falls, Denver is 273 millimeters from
turns 75
and walks 220 meters to point C (see figure). Orlando, and Denver is 235 millimeters from Niagara Falls
Approximate the length AC of the marsh. (see figure).

B
75°
Niagara Falls
235 mm
220 m 250 m
Denver
178 mm
C A
273 mm

Orlando
32. Surveying A triangular parcel of land has 115 meters
of frontage, and the other boundaries have lengths of (a) Find the bearing of Denver from Orlando.
76 meters and 92 meters. What angles does the frontage (b) Find the bearing of Denver from Niagara Falls.
make with the two other boundaries? 38. Navigation On a map, Minneapolis is 165 millimeters
33. Surveying A triangular parcel of ground has sides of due west of Albany, Phoenix is 216 millimeters from
lengths 725 feet, 650 feet, and 575 feet. Find the measure Minneapolis, and Phoenix is 368 millimeters from Albany
of the largest angle. (see figure).
34. Streetlight Design Determine the angle  in the design of
the streetlight shown in the figure.
Minneapolis 165 mm
Albany
216 mm
3 368 mm

Phoenix
θ 4 12
2

(a) Find the bearing of Minneapolis from Phoenix.

(b) Find the bearing of Albany from Phoenix.
39. Baseball On a baseball diamond with 90-foot sides, the
35. Distance Two ships leave a port at 9 A.M. One
pitcher’s mound is 60.5 feet from home plate. How far is it
travels at a bearing of N 53
W at 12 miles per hour, and
from the pitcher’s mound to third base?
the other travels at a bearing of S 67
W at 16 miles per
hour. Approximate how far apart they are at noon that day. 40. Baseball The baseball player in center field is playing
approximately 330 feet from the television camera that is
36. Length A 100-foot vertical tower is to be erected on the
behind home plate. A batter hits a fly ball that goes to the
side of a hill that makes a 6
angle with the horizontal (see
wall 420 feet from the camera (see figure). The camera
figure). Find the length of each of the two guy wires that
turns 8
to follow the play. Approximately how far does the
will be anchored 75 feet uphill and downhill from the base
center fielder have to run to make the catch?
of the tower.

100 ft 330 ft 8°
420 ft

6° 75 ft
75 ft
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Section 6.2 Law of Cosines 445

41. Aircraft Tracking To determine the distance between 45. Paper Manufacturing In a process with continuous
two aircraft, a tracking station continuously determines the paper, the paper passes across three rollers of radii 3 inches,
distance to each aircraft and the angle A between them (see 4 inches, and 6 inches (see figure). The centers of the
figure). Determine the distance a between the planes when three-inch and six-inch rollers are d inches apart, and the
A  42
, b  35 miles, and c  20 miles. length of the arc in contact with the paper on the four-inch
roller is s inches. Complete the table.

a 3 in.
C
B
s
c b θ d

4 in.
A
6 in.
FIGURE FOR 41
42. Aircraft Tracking Use the figure for Exercise 41 to d (inches) 9 10 12 13 14 15 16
determine the distance a between the planes when
A  11
, b  20 miles, and c  20 miles.  (degrees)
43. Trusses Q is the midpoint of the line segment PR in the s (inches)
truss rafter shown in the figure. What are the lengths of the
line segments PQ, QS, and RS ? 46. Awning Design A retractable awning above a patio door
R lowers at an angle of 50
from the exterior wall at a height
of 10 feet above the ground (see figure). No direct sunlight
is to enter the door when the angle of elevation of the sun
Q
10 is greater than 70
. What is the length x of the awning?

S 50° Sun’s rays

P x
8 8 8 8

10 ft
Model It
44. Engine Design An engine has a seven-inch connecting 70°
rod fastened to a crank (see figure).

1.5 in. 7 in.

47. Geometry The lengths of the sides of a triangular parcel
of land are approximately 200 feet, 500 feet, and 600 feet.
θ Approximate the area of the parcel.
48. Geometry A parking lot has the shape of a parallelogram
x
(see figure). The lengths of two adjacent sides are 70
meters and 100 meters. The angle between the two sides is
(a) Use the Law of Cosines to write an equation giving
70
. What is the area of the parking lot?
the relationship between x and .
(b) Write x as a function of . (Select the sign that
yields positive values of x.)
(c) Use a graphing utility to graph the function in
part (b). 70 m
(d) Use the graph in part (c) to determine the maxi-
mum distance the piston moves in one cycle.
70°
100 m
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446 Chapter 6 Additional Topics in Trigonometry

49. Geometry You want to buy a triangular lot measuring 57. Proof Use the Law of Cosines to prove that
510 yards by 840 yards by 1120 yards. The price of the
1 abc a  b  c
land is $2000 per acre. How much does the land cost? bc 1  cos A  .
(Hint: 1 acre  4840 square yards) 2 2 2
50. Geometry You want to buy a triangular lot measuring 58. Proof Use the Law of Cosines to prove that
1350 feet by 1860 feet by 2490 feet. The price of the land
1 abc abc
is $2200 per acre. How much does the land cost? (Hint: bc 1  cos A  .
1 acre  43,560 square feet) 2 2 2

Synthesis Skills Review

True or False? In Exercises 51–53, determine whether the In Exercises 59– 64, evaluate the expression without using
statement is true or false. Justify your answer. a calculator.
51. In Heron’s Area Formula, s is the average of the lengths of 59. arcsin1
the three sides of the triangle. 60. arccos 0
52. In addition to SSS and SAS, the Law of Cosines can be 61. arctan 3
62. arctan 3 
used to solve triangles with SSA conditions.
53. A triangle with side lengths of 10 centimeters, 16 centime-
ters, and 5 centimeters can be solved using the Law of
Cosines.
 23 
63. arcsin 


64. arccos
2 
3
54. Circumscribed and Inscribed Circles Let R and r
be the radii of the circumscribed and inscribed circles of a
triangle ABC, respectively (see figure), and let In Exercises 65– 68, write an algebraic expression that is
abc equivalent to the expression.
s .
2 65. secarcsin 2x
A 66. tanarccos 3x
67. cotarctanx  2
b c
x1
 
r
68. cos arcsin
2
C a B
R
In Exercises 69–72, use trigonometric substitution to write
the algebraic equation as a trigonometric function of
,
a b c where  /2 <
< /2. Then find sec
and csc
.
(a) Prove that 2R    .
sin A sin B sin C 69. 5  25  x 2, x  5 sin 
s  as  bs  c
(b) Prove that r   s
. 70.  2  4  x ,
71.  3  x 2  9,
2 x  2 cos 
x  3 sec 
72. 12  36  x 2, x  6 tan 
Circumscribed and Inscribed Circles In Exercises 55 and
56, use the results of Exercise 54.
In Exercises 73 and 74, write the sum or difference as a
55. Given a triangle with product.
a  25, b  55, and c  72 5 
73. cos  cos
find the areas of (a) the triangle, (b) the circumscribed 6 3
 
circle, and (c) the inscribed circle.
56. Find the length of the largest circular running track that can

74. sin x 
2 
 sin x 
2 
be built on a triangular piece of property with sides of
lengths 200 feet, 250 feet, and 325 feet.