CM9 09 5.3_5.

2 Final 12/8/04 11:46 AM Page 293

Syllabus outcomes
MS5.1.2 Applies trigonometry to solve problems (diagrams given), including those
involving angles of elevation and depression
MS5.2.3 Applies trigonometry to solve problems, including those involving bearings
WMS5.3.1 Asks questions that could be explored using mathematics in relation to
Stage 5.3 content
WMS5.3.2 Solves problems using a range of strategies, including deductive reasoning
WMS5.3.3 Uses and interprets formal definitions and generalisations when explaining
solutions and/or conjectures
WMS5.3.5 Links mathematical ideas and makes connections with, and generalisations
about, existing knowledge and understanding in relation to Stage 5.3 content

In this chapter you will learn to:

nidentify the hypotenuse, the adjacent side and the opposite side with respect to a
given angle in a right-angled triangle in any orientation
nlabel the side lengths of a right-angled triangle in relation to a given angle
(e.g. side c opposite angle C )
nrecognise that the ratio of matching sides in similar right-angled triangles is
constant for equal angles
ndefine the sine, cosine and tangent ratios for angles in right-angled triangles
nuse trigonometric notation
nuse a calculator to find approximations of the trigonometric ratios of given angles
measured in degrees and minutes
nuse a calculator to find an angle correct to the nearest minute, given one of the
trigonometric ratios of the angle
nselect and use appropriate trigonometric ratios in right-angled triangles to find
unknown sides, including the hypotenuse
nselect and use appropriate trigonometric ratios in right-angled triangles to find
unknown angles correct to the nearest minute
nidentify angles of elevation and depression
nsolve problems involving angles of elevation and depression when given a diagram
nuse true bearings (e.g. 035°T, 225°T) and compass bearings (e.g. SSW, N45°E)
ndraw diagrams and use them to solve word problems that involve bearings or
angles of elevation and depression
CM9 09 5.3_5.2 Final 12/8/04 11:46 AM Page 294

Trigonometry
The word trigonometry is derived from two Greek words, trigon and metron. Actually, tri
means ‘three’, gon means ‘angles’, and metron means a measure. So trigonometry deals with
the measurement of a triangle, that is finding the lengths of the sides and the sizes of the
angles of a triangle.
The trigonometric method of solving triangles, and applications of trigonometry, are used in
every branch of science and engineering.

Naming the sides of a right-angled

triangle
We use capital letters to name the vertices of a triangle, and A
corresponding lower case letters to name the sides. We generally
c b
use a for the side opposite angle A, b for the side opposite
angle B and so on.
B a C
However, right-angled triangles also have special names for
the sides.
Every right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse. It is very easy to
e
find and name it because it is always opposite the right angle us
ten
and it is the longest side of the triangle. po opposite
hy
The naming of the other two sides depends on the angle of the u
triangle we are referring to. The side opposite the angle is called adjacent
the opposite and the side next to the angle is called the adjacent.
Angles are generally marked by Greek letters such as
(theta),  (alpha) and  (beta).

Examples
Q R
●
1 For triangle PQR, name:
a the hypotenuse
b the side opposite angle

c the side adjacent to angle
u
d the side opposite angle Q
P
e the side adjacent to angle Q

a PQ is the hypotenuse. b QR is opposite angle
.

c PR is adjacent to angle
. d PR is opposite angle Q.
e QR is adjacent to angle Q.

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●
2 Name the sides in this right-angled triangle referring x
u
to angle
.
y
y is the opposite, x is the adjacent and z is the z
hypotenuse.

E x e r c i s e 9A N A M I N G T H E S I D E S O F A R I G H T- A N G L E D T R I A N G L E

■
1 Name the hypotenuse in each triangle:
a A b c P
D
Q

C
E F
B
R

■
2 For each triangle, state whether x, y and z are the opposite (O), adjacent (A) or
hypotenuse (H), with reference to the angle marked:
a x b c
y
z y x
y
z
x z

d e f
z x z y z
y

y x
x

■
3 Name each side as opposite (O), adjacent (A) or hypotenuse (H), with reference to the
angle marked:
a b c
a d
q e
p c

r f
b

d e p f
b l
a
m

c r
q n

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■
4 For
ABC, name: B
a the hypotenuse
b the side opposite A
c the side adjacent to A
d the side opposite B A C
e the side adjacent to B

■
5 In
PQR, what is the length of: P
a the hypotenuse? 13 cm
b the side opposite Q ? 5 cm
c the side adjacent to Q ?
d the side opposite P ? Q 12 cm R

e the side adjacent to P ?

■
6 Use Pythagoras’ theorem to calculate the length of the unknown side in each triangle:
a b F
3 cm
E c
C
z cm
N M
15 mm
8 mm y cm 5 cm 10 cm
26 cm
A x mm B
D L

■
7 Name the sides in the following right-angled triangles with reference to the angle
marked as:
i θ (theta) ii α (alpha)
a b R P c N 4 M
A
u u
a

3
5

u a
B C a
L
Q
d e f
10 a
5 12 24 10
u u
a 8
u a
13 6 26

Angles are often

marked by
Greek letters.

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The ratios of sides in right-angled

triangles
Example
This diagram shows two right-angled triangles (
ABC and
ADE ) that have
a common angle (A) equal to 30°.
E

30°
A B D

●
1 Why are
ABC and
ADE similar?
In
ABC and
ADE:
A  A (common angle)
B  D (each 90°)
 ACB  AED (third angle of triangle)
 the triangles are equiangular and so are similar.

●
2
ABC has sides AB, BC and CA. What are their corresponding sides in
ADE ?
The corresponding sides are AD, DE and EA .

●
3 Measure the lengths of the following sides correct to the nearest millimetre:
a AB and AD b BC and DE c AC and AE

a AB  5.0 cm and AD  8.0 cm b BC  2.8 cm and DE  4.6 cm

c AC  5.7 cm and AE  9.3 cm

●
4 Find the following ratios correct to 1 decimal place:
AB AD BC
a  b  c 
AC AE AC
DE BC DE
d  e  f 
AE AB AD

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AB AD BC
a   0.9 b   0.9 c   0.5
AC AE AC
DE BC DE
d   0.5 e   0.6 f   0.6
AE AB AD

●
5 What values did you obtain for:
AB AD BC DE BC DE
a   and  ? b  and  ? c  and  ?
AC AE AC AE AB AD

AB AD BC DE BC DE
a      0.9 b     0.5 c     0.6
AC AE AC AE AB AD

●
6 What can you conclude about the ratios of sides of
These ratios
similar right-angled triangles? are called
trigonometric
For any angle A, we can construct as many
ratios.
right-angled triangles as we like, but the ratios
of corresponding sides have constant values.

E x e r c i s e 9B T H E R AT I O S O F S I D E S I N R I G H T- A N G L E D T R I A N G L E S

■
1 This diagram shows three right-angled triangles (
ABC, G

ADE and
AFG ) with the common angle A.
E

A B D F

a Why are
ABC,
ADE and
AFG similar?

b Side AB is one side of
ABC. What is the corresponding side in:

ADE ?
i ii
AFG ?
c Side FG is one side of
AFG. What is the corresponding side in:
i
ABC ? ii
ADE ?
d Measure the lengths of the following sides correct to the nearest millimetre:
i AB, AD and AF ii BC, DE and FG iii AC, AE and AG
e Find each ratio correct to 1 decimal place:
AB AD AF BC DE
i  ii  iii  iv  v 
AC AE AG AC AE
FG BC DE FG
vi   vii  viii  ix 
AG AB AD AF
f What values did you obtain for:
AB AD AF BC DE FG BC DE FG
i  ,  and  ? ii  ,  and   ? iii  ,  and  ?
AC AE AG AC AE AG AB AD AF

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■
2 For this triangle, find the value of each ratio: A

side opposite angle A side adjacent to angle A

a  b 
hypotenuse hypotenuse
17
side opposite angle A side opposite angle
15
c  d 
side adjacent to angle A hypotenuse
side adjacent to angle
side opposite angle
u
e  f  B C
hypotenuse side adjacent to angle
8

■
3 For this triangle, find the value of each ratio in its simplest form:
side opposite angle
X
a 
hypotenuse
side adjacent to angle
10
b  6
hypotenuse
side opposite angle

c  u
side adjacent to angle
Y 8 Z

■
4 AB, BC and CA are the sides of
ABC.
BC
C3

a Write the ratios that are equivalent to the ratio  .

C2
AC C1
AB C
b Write the ratios that are equivalent to the ratio   .
AC
BC A
c Write the ratios that are equivalent to the ratio  .
B B1 B2 B3
AB
■
5 Using the triangles below, answer the following questions without measuring.
F E X
A 50° R Q
30°

30°
B C P 50°
D Y Z

AC BC
a Which ratio is equivalent to   ? b Which ratio is equivalent to  ?
AB AB
AC XZ
c Which ratio is equivalent to  ? d Which ratio is equivalent to  ?
BC XY
YZ XZ
e Which ratio is equivalent to  ? f Which ratio is equivalent to  ?
XY YZ
■
6 a Explain why
PQR and
PQ1R1 are similar. R1
b Find a ratio equal to: R
QR PQ QR
i  ii  iii 
PR PR PQ

P Q Q1

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■
7 a Explain why these two right-angled triangles
are similar. c f
b e
b Find a ratio equal to:
b a b
i  ii  iii  a d
c c a
y1
■ In this diagram,   2. Find:
1
8
x1
y2
a  y4
x2 y3
y3 y2
y1
b 
x3
x1
y4 x2
c  x3
x4 x4

The trigonometric ratios

In trigonometry we use ratios that refer to the sides of right-angled triangles. We use the
names opposite, adjacent and hypotenuse when defining these ratios.
The basic trigonometric ratios are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to sin, cos and tan).

opposite
p sine sin
 
hypotenuse us
e
en
adjacent pot opposite
cos
   hy
p cosine hypotenuse
u
opposite
p tangent tan
   adjacent
adjacent

A very easy way to memorise the trigonometric ratios is by this code word:
S O H C A H T O A
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; SOH CAH TOA
sine opp. hyp. cosine adj. hyp. tangent opp. adj.

Remember that sin

is one symbol. It does
not mean that sin is
multiplied by
.

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Examples
●
1 For the right-angled triangle PQR, find the value of: P
a sin

b cos
30
18
c tan
For any given
angle, the sine
u
opposite ratio always has R
a sin
  the same value.
Q 24
hypotenuse
18
sin
 30
3
 sin
 5

adjacent opposite
b cos
  c tan
  
hypotenuse adjacent
24 18
cos
 30 tan
 24
4 3
 cos
 5  tan
 4

●
2 Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the value of the unknown side in
ABC
and then find the value of:
a sin A C
b cos A
10 cm
c tan A
24 cm
B
By Pythagoras’ theorem:
2 2 2
AB  AC  BC
2 2 2 A
AB  24  10
2
AB  576  100
2
AB  676
AB 
676

 AB  26 cm
opposite adjacent
a sin A   b cos A  
hypotenuse hypotenuse
24
sin A  1206 cos A  26
12
 sin A  153  cos A  13

opposite
c tan A   
adjacent
10
tan A  24
5
 tan A  12

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E x e r c i s e 9C T H E T R I G O N O M E T R I C R AT I O S

■
1 Find the values of sin P, cos P and tan P in each triangle as fractions in simplest form.
All lengths are in millimetres.
a P 3 R b R c Q 15 R
13
5
8
5 4 17
P 12 Q
P P
Q
R 2 Q
d R e f
3
1
2 3
10
P
13
Q

5 1
Q
P R

■
2 For each triangle, find:
i sin
, cos
and tan
ii sin , cos  and tan 
All lengths are in centimetres.
a b c 8
a a
a
c
10 a p
x
m
u
u u
y 5
4
d a e f
b u 3
7 m
m u
u l a
a a
n

■
3 Use Pythagoras’ theorem to calculate the unknown side and then find sin
, cos

and tan
:
a C b 2 Q c Z
R
u
12 3
16
5
A 5 Y
u u
B X
P
N
d D e L 15 K f
9
7 12
u 8
E F u
24 u M
L
J

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■
4 ABCD is a rectangle and all given lengths are in centimetres. A D
a Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the length of the
diagonal BD. 8
b Find the following ratios in fraction form:
i sin DBC ii tan BDC
B 15 C
iii cos ABD iv tan ADB

■
5 ABC is a right-angled triangle. A
a Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the length of the hypotenuse.
b Find the value of:
i sin A 9
ii cos B
iii tan A
B 12 C
■
6 a For this triangle, find the ratio:
i sin
13 12
ii cos

iii tan

sin
u
b Show that: tan
 
cos
5

■
7 The sum of complementary angles is 90°. In
ABC, angles A A
and B are complementary. So if A 
, B  (90° 
). 41 u
a Find the ratio: 9
i sin
ii cos
90°  u
B 40 C
iii sin (90° 
) iv cos (90° 
)
b Show that:
i sin (90° 
)  cos
ii cos (90° 
)  sin

■
8 For
PQR, find: P
a i sin 30° ii cos 30°
60°
iii sin 60° iv cos 60° 6
3
b Show that:
i sin 30°  cos 60° ii cos 30°  sin 60° 30°
Q
27 R
■
9 Find the value of x, given:
Memorise
a sin x°  cos 50° SOH CAH TOA.
b cos x°  sin 35°

■
10 a Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the length A
of side BC.
61
b Find the ratios: 11
i sin
u
ii cos
B C
iii tan

sin

c Show that: tan
 
cos

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Using a calculator in trigonometry

The sine, cosine and tangent ratios of angles can be found using the trigonometric keys on a
calculator. Make sure that the calculator is set in the degrees mode before you begin. Using a
calculator in trigonometric calculations can make the work a lot easier, especially when other
operations are also involved. Most calculators work out trigonometric ratios as decimals.

Examples
Calculator steps Display

●
1 Find sin 59°. sin 59  0.857I673
A trigonometric
ratio is always
●
2 Find cos 23°. cos 23  0.9205048
the same for
any given angle.
●
3 Find tan 60°. tan 60  I.7320508

●
4 Find 8 sin 30°. 8  sin 30  4.

●
5 Find 2.5 cos 49°. 2.5  cos 49  I.640I476

●
6 Find 6.83 tan 37°54. 6.83  tan 37 ° ' " 54 ° ' "  5.3I70099
sin 54°
●
7 Find  . sin 54  15.6  0.05I860I
15.6
Remember:
2.36
2.36   1 degree =
●
8 Find  .
cos 31°
cos 31 2.7532548
60 minutes
tan 62°8 1 minute =
●
9 Find . tan 62 ° ' " 8 ° ' "  100  0.0I89I33 60 seconds
100
12.67
●
10 Find  . 12.67  tan 32  20.276238
tan 32°

To calculate the size of an angle when given a trigonometric ratio, press the SHIFT key (or
INV key on some calculators) before pressing the trigonometric ratio key.

Examples
Calculator steps Display

●
1 Given that sin
 0.5, SHIFT sin 0.5 30.
find
. 
 30°

●
2 If cos
 34, what is SHIFT cos 3 a bc 4  4I.409622
the value of
?
To change this to degrees and 4I°24' 34.64
minutes, press SHIFT ° ' " 
 41°25

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●
3 Given that tan
 59, SHIFT tan 5 a bc 9  29.054604
The calculator
find
. display may use
SHIFT °'" 29°3 ' I6.57
the degree sign for

 29°3 minutes as well as
for degrees.

●
4 If sin
 173 , what is SHIFT sin 7 a bc 13  32.57897
the value of
? SHIFT °'" 32°34 ' 44.29


 32°35

E x e r c i s e 9D U S I N G A C A L C U L AT O R I N T R I G O N O M E T R Y

■
1 Find the value of each ratio correct to 3 decimal places:
a sin 69° b cos 60° c tan 21° d cos 82°
e tan 28° f sin 58° g tan 31° h sin 35°
i cos 43° j sin 53°

■
2 Find correct to 3 significant figures: Give your answer in
a 2.8 sin 42° b tan 58°4 c sin 27°15 d 8 cos 19° degrees and minutes
unless you are asked
e sin 53°27 f cos 28°35 g sin 59°28 h 30.6 cos 65°12 to give it to the
i tan 31°49 j 5.6 tan 10°2 nearest degree.

■
3 Find correct to 2 decimal places:
tan 58° cos 63° 14.3 sin 39°41 sin 54°28
a  b  c  d  e 
6 5 sin 54° 4.7 2.5
18.6 tan 25°54 tan 38°29 359 cos 38°20
f  g  h  i  j 
cos 37°16 8.25 8.6 tan 75°36 7.29

■
4 A is an acute angle. Find its size to the nearest degree.
a sin A  0.5736 b tan A  0.7836 c cos A  0.8126
d cos A  0.5990 e sin A  0.7587 f tan A  1.491
g tan A  2.5583 h cos A  0.2935 i sin A  0.9941

■
5 M is an acute angle. Find its size in degrees and minutes.
a sin M  0.5 b cos M  0.3568 c tan M  1.326
d cos M  0.4836 e tan M  0.7983 f sin M  0.4839

■
6 Find the size of the acute angle C in degrees and minutes:
1 13 15.7
a cos C  
2 b sin C  
18 c tan C   
12.85
15 8.5
d tan C  
22 e cos C  
11.9 f sin C  12

■
7
is an acute angle. Find its size to the nearest degree.
a sin
 0.4835 b cos
 0.3258 c tan
 0.2335
d cos
 0.4819 e sin
 0.6318 f tan
 1.8319
g tan
 0.4782 h cos
 0.6137 i tan
 1.5813
j sin
 0.4152 k sin
 0.7318 l cos
 0.8915

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■
8
is an acute angle. Find its size in degrees and minutes. To find an angle, use the
a tan
 1.8364 b cos
 0.8936 c sin
 0.1359 SHIFT key before the

d sin
 0.5618 e sin
 0.8325 f tan
 1.3568 trigonometric key.

g cos
 0.3458 h tan
 0.9875 i cos
 0.3963
j cos
 0.5381 k sin
 0.9317 l tan
 2.1352

■
9 Find the size of the acute angle in degrees and minutes:
4 6.7 5 6
a cos A  
9 b tan A  
5.63 c cos
 9 d sin B  
7
3 3 15.3 3
e cos B  
7 f sin B  8 g tan
 
12.5 h sin A  

12 
2.8 8.6 5 3.7
i cos A  

 18
j cos C   
10.53 k tan
 

12

l tan Y  4.9

■
10 Use a calculator to find correct to 4 decimal places:
a sin 80° b cos 56°17 c tan 18°53 d cos 78°14
e tan 65° f sin 78°35 g cos 23°53 h tan 67°
i cos 30°15 j tan 83°52 k sin 36°28 l sin 59°33

■
11 Find correct to 4 decimal places:
cos 38°15 27.58 8.75
a  b  c 
3.4 sin 30° tan 53°36
d 5.9 sin 48°17 e 6.3 cos 35°28 f 6.95 tan 18°25
sin 34°51 cos 39°52 tan 36°18
g  h  i 
28.36 10.5 25.1
Make sure that
3.185 18.659 27.9315 your calculator is in
j  k  l 
tan 38°46 sin 58°16 cos 78°39 degrees mode.

Finding an unknown side

Whenever two sides of a right-angled triangle are given, we can use Pythagoras’ theorem to
find the third side. However, when we are given one side and one of the acute angles of a
right-angled triangle, we can use trigonometry to find an unknown side.
To find the length of an unknown side, follow these steps:
Step 1 Draw a diagram if one is not already given. Mark all the given information on
the diagram.
Step 2 Ask yourself three very important questions:
P What is given to you? (That is, what is known?)
P What do you want to find out? (That is, what is unknown?)
P Which trigonometric ratio (sine, cosine or tangent) includes the known and the
unknown?
Step 3 Write an equation using the appropriate ratio.
Step 4 Use a calculator to solve the equation. This will give you the length of the
unknown side.

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Examples
●
1 Find the value of x correct to 2 decimal places:
a b x
opposite
35°12' tan
 
adjacent
x
18

53°
12
x
a tan 53°   
12
x
   tan 53°
12
x  12 tan 53° 12  tan 53 
x  15.924 537 86 (from the calculator)
 x  15.92 (correct to 2 decimal places)
x
b cos 35°12  
18
x
  cos 35°12
18
x  18 cos 35°12 18  cos 35 ° ' " 12 ° ' " 
x  14.708 608 17 (from the calculator)
 x  14.71 (correct to 2 decimal places)

●
2 A ladder 6 m long is placed against a wall so that its inclination
to the horizontal is 63°. How far up the wall will it reach?
Answer in metres correct to 2 decimal places. opposite
sin
 
h hypotenuse
sin 63°  
6
h
  sin 63° 6m
h
6
h  6 sin 63° 6  sin 63 
h  5.346 039 146 (from the calculator)
63°
 h  5.35 m (correct to 2 decimal places)
A
●
3 In
ABC, C  90°, B  34.5° and AB  5.6 cm.
adjacent
Find BC correct to 2 decimal places. cos
 
5.6 cm hypotenuse
BC
cos 34.5° 
5.6
BC 34.5°
  cos 34.5° B C
5.6
BC  5.6 cos 34.5° 5.6  cos 34.5 
BC  4.615 106 657 (from the calculator)
 BC  4.62 cm (correct to 2 decimal places)

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E x e r c i s e 9E FINDING AN UNKNOWN SIDE

■
1 Find the value of the unknown side in each triangle correct to 1 decimal place:
a x b c
49°
CD-ROM
a m
10.65 cm
60° 20.6 cm
14.9 cm
30°

d e f
9 cm x
x
30.2 cm
36° 40° x
14.8 cm 65°

■
2 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle correct to 2 decimal places:

a b y c
7.9 cm a
m 45°
70°
18.5 cm
15° 13.8 cm

■
3 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle to the nearest centimetre:
a b c
62°
m
19.4 cm
l
70° 30.5 cm
35° n
35.6 cm

■
4 A piece of wood 2 m long leans against a wall, making an angle
of 42° with the floor. How far up the wall, to the nearest
centimetre, is the top of the wooden piece? 2m
h

■
5 A ladder 8.4 m long leans against 42°
a wall. How far is its foot from the
wall, if it makes an angle of 53° 8.4 m
with the horizontal ground?
Answer in metres correct to
2 decimal places.
53°
cm

x
.8
14

■
6 The diagonal of a square is 14.8 cm long. Find the length of one side
(to the nearest millimetre).
x

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■
7 The diagonal of a rectangle is 21.7 cm long and it
makes an angle of 32° with the longer side. Find the 21.7 cm
length of the rectangle to the nearest centimetre.
32°
l

■
8 A ship at sea observes a lighthouse on the top of
an 85 m cliff at an angle of 4.5°. How far from the cliff 85 m
is the ship, to the nearest metre? 4.5°
d

■
9 A road rises at an angle of 5°33. What will be the
vertical rise of the road (correct to 2 decimal places) for h
a horizontal distance of 250 m? 5°33
250 m
C

■
10 In
ABC, A  90°, B  59°20
and BC  10 m. Find AC correct
10 m
to the nearest metre. B

59°20 11.5 m
B A

■
11 In
ABC, C  90°, A  32° and AB  11.5 m. Find AC 32°
correct to 1 decimal place. A C

■
12 Find x in the rectangle correct to 1 decimal place.
75°
x

48 cm

■
13 Find x and y in this diagram. 28 cm
x
(Answer to the nearest y
70°
centimetre.)

■
14 A tree casts a shadow 18 m long. If the sun’s rays meet
the ground at 30°, what is the height of the tree to the
nearest metre? h
P

■
30°
15
PQR is right-angled at R, QR  28 m
and Q  58°32. Find PR correct to 18 m
1 decimal place.

58°32
Q 28 m R

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Finding the hypotenuse

To find the length of the hypotenuse, follow these steps:
Step 1 Draw a diagram if one is not already given. Mark all the given information on
the diagram.
Step 2 Ask yourself three very important questions:
P What is given to you? (That is, what is known?)
P What do you want to find out? (You need to find the hypotenuse.)
P Which trigonometric ratio (sine or cosine) includes the known value and the
hypotenuse?
Step 3 Write an equation using the appropriate ratio.
Step 4 Rearrange the equation so that the unknown is the subject, then solve the equation.
This will give you the length of the hypotenuse.

Examples
●
1 Find the value of d correct to 1 decimal place in each triangle:
a
5.6
cos 31°   adja cent
d d cos
  
hypotenu se
d cos 31°  5.6
31° 5.6
5.6 cm d   5.6  cos 31 
cos 31°
d  6.533 147 024 (from the calculator)
 d  6.5 cm (correct to 1 decimal place)

opp osite
b 43° sin
  
7.2 hypotenuse
sin 43°  
d
7.2 cm
d d sin 43°  7.2
7.2
d   7.2  sin 43 
sin 43°
d  10.557 210 14 (from the calculator)
 d  10.6 cm (correct to 1 decimal place)

●
2 Find the length of the diagonal of a rectangle, D C
given that the length of the rectangle is
10.7 cm and the diagonal makes an angle of d
39° with the longer side. Answer correct to 1
decimal place. 39°
A 10.7 cm B

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In
ABC: 10.7
cos 39°  
d Make sure that
d cos 39°  10.7 the calculator is
10.7 set on degrees.
d   10.7  cos 39 
cos 39°
d  13.768 327 36 (from the calculator)
 d  13.8 cm (correct to 1 decimal place)

E x e r c i s e 9F FINDING THE HYPOTENUSE

■
1 Find the length of each hypotenuse correct to 1 decimal place:
a 5 cm b 60° c

12 cm
8 cm h
25° h h 38°

d 3 cm e 7 cm
f

70°
h

h h
40° 29° 10 cm

■
2 Calculate the length of each hypotenuse correct to 1 decimal place:
a b c
50° 55°
29 cm 9 cm
h h
34°
h

24 cm

d 13.5 cm e f
21.6 cm 15.7 cm
72°
h h
48° h
81°

■
3 Find the value of x correct to
2 decimal places.
x
15 cm

35°

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■
4 Find the hypotenuse of this triangle in centimetres correct to
1 decimal place.
x
25 cm

■
5 A ladder is inclined at 63° to the ground and
leans against a vertical wall with its foot l 51°

2.5 m from the wall. Find the length of the

ladder to the nearest centimetre.
63°
2.5 m

■
6 Find the value of the hypotenuse of this triangle correct
58°
to 1 decimal place.
x
4.8 cm

■
7 Find the length of the ramp
ramp
shown in this diagram correct 33 cm
to 1 decimal place.

47°

■
8 A ladder rests against a wall. The foot of the ladder is 1.2 m
from the wall and it makes an angle of 56° with the ground.
l
How long is the ladder to the nearest centimetre?

C
56°

■
9 In
ABC, A  61°, B  90° and 1.2 m

BC  75 mm. Find the value of AC to the

75 mm
nearest millimetre.

61°
A B A 32 cm B
43°
■
10 In a rectangle ABCD, the diagonal BD makes an angle of 43°
with the side AB, which is 32 cm long. Find the length of the
diagonal correct to the nearest centimetre. l

D C

■
11 An aircraft climbs at an angle of 28° to the
horizontal. Find to the nearest metre the
distance travelled along its flight path 700 m
while rising 700 m.
28°

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■
12 In
ABC, A  90°, B  68° and AB  16 m.
If there is no
Find BC correct to the nearest metre. diagram given,
draw your own.

■
13 A wooden gate in the form of a rectangle
has a diagonal support that makes an
angle of 30° with the horizontal. If the 2.5 m
height of the gate is 2.5 m, what is the
length of the support?
30°

Finding an unknown angle

Trigonometry is also used to find the sizes of angles of a triangle. When you use a calculator
for this, press SHIFT and then sin , cos or tan .
To find an unknown angle of a triangle, follow these steps:
Step 1 Draw a diagram if one is not already given. Mark all the given information on
the diagram.
Step 2 Ask yourself three very important questions:
P What is given to you? (That is, what is known?)
P What do you want to find out? (That is, what is unknown?)
P Which trigonometric ratio (sine, cosine or tangent) includes the known and
the unknown?
Step 3 Write an equation using the appropriate ratio.
Step 4 Use a calculator to solve the equation. Press SHIFT followed by sin , cos or tan ,
then enter the fraction and press  to find the angle.

Examples
●
1 Find the size of angle
to the nearest degree. 3

u
7
tan
 3

7
SHIFT tan 3 a b/c 7 

 23.198 590 51 (from the calculator) opposite
tan
 
adjacent

 23° (to the nearest degree)

Remember that to find

the size of an angle, always
press SHIFT first.

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●
2 Find the size of angle
to the nearest minute. 6.5

sin
 6.5

17.8
SHIFT sin 6.5 a b/c 17.8 

 21.417 955 27 (from the calculator) 17.8 u

 21°25 (to the nearest minute)

opposite On some calculators,

sin
  SHIFT may be given as
hypotenuse
2nd F or INV .

●
3 An 18 m ladder standing on level ground reaches
14 m up a vertical wall. Find the angle that the
ladder makes with the ground. (Give your answer
to the nearest degree.) 18 m
14 m

sin
 14

18
SHIFT sin 14 a b/c 18 
u

 51.057 558 73 (from the calculator)

 51° (to the nearest degree)

●
4 ABCD is a rectangle with AC  25 cm and D C
AD  14 cm. Find DAC correct to the
nearest degree.
14 cm cm
25
cos
 14

25
SHIFT cos 14 a b/c 25  u

 55.944 202 26 (from the calculator) A B

 56° (to the nearest degree)
adjacent
cos
 
hypotenuse

E x e r c i s e 9G FINDING AN UNKNOWN ANGLE

■
1 Find the size of the angle marked with a pronumeral. Give your answers to the
nearest degree.
a b c 5.6

7.5 u
6.3

a
12.7
10.5
3.2 b

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d e 3.5 f
8.9 7.8
16.2
u
11.5
b
a 20.1

■
2 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle. Give your answers to the
nearest degree.
a b c 18.9
5.9 8.7 17.3
a u

b
19.6 28.75

d 3.8 e f
11.7
20.8 23.8
15.6 u

b a 33.6

■
3 A 15 m ladder standing on level ground reaches 11 m up
a vertical wall. Find the angle that the ladder makes with
the ground. (Give your answer to the nearest degree.)
15 m
C 11 m

■
4 In
ABC, B  90°, AB  6 m
and AC  7 m. Find the size of A 7m
u
correct to the nearest degree.

A 6m B

■
5 ABCD is a rectangle with AC  28 cm and AD  12 cm. A B
Find ACD correct to the nearest minute.
12 cm 28 cm

■
6 Calculate the size of angle
to the D C
nearest minute. 6.9

u
8.65

■
7 Calculate the size of angle  to the nearest minute. a

3.6
9.45

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Q
■
8 In
PQR, R  90°, QR  6.8 cm and PR  7.9 cm. Find P to the
nearest minute.

6.8 cm
■
9 Calculate the angle that a diagonal
makes with the shorter side of a
5 cm
rectangle that has dimensions 8 cm P 7.9 cm R
by 5 cm. Answer correct to the
nearest minute. 8 cm

5m
■
10 A 5 m ladder reaches a window 2.5 m above the ground. 2.5 m
What angle does the ladder make with the ground?
u

■
11 A railway track rises 1.5 m for each horizontal distance
of 15 m. Find the angle (to the nearest minute) that the 1.5 m
track makes with the horizontal. u
15 m

■
12 A rectangle 15 cm by 8 cm has a diagonal of length 17 cm. 15 cm
Calculate the angle the diagonal makes with the longer side.
17 cm
Give your answer correct to the nearest minute. 8 cm

■
13 A pole 15 m tall is supported by a wire
18.3 m long. Find the angle between the 18.3 m
wire and the horizontal ground. Write 15 m
your answer correct to the nearest minute.
u

Angles of elevation and depression

An angle of elevation exists when we look up at an object.
It is the angle between the line of sight and the horizontal, ht
f sig
shown as
in the diagram. eo
lin n
vatio
eo f ele
u angl
horizontal

An angle of depression exists when we look down at horizontal

an object. It is the angle between the line of sight and
io n u
the horizontal, shown as
in the diagram. ress
eo f dep
angl ht
f sig
eo
lin

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Remember that the angle of depression from the upper

depression 32°
position is always equal to the angle of elevation from the
lower position, but they are not the same angles. For
example, if the angle of depression from a lighthouse to a elevation
yacht is 32°, the angle of elevation from the yacht to the 32°
lighthouse will be 32°.

Examples
●
1 The angle of elevation of the top of a tower AB is 58° from a point C
on the ground 200 m from the middle of the base of the tower.
Calculate the height of the tower to the nearest metre. A

Let the height of the tower be x.

In
ABC :
x x
tan 58°   
200
x
   tan 58°
200
x  200 tan 58° 200  tan 58  58°
C B
x  320.066 905 8 (from the calculator) 200 m

 x  320 m (to the nearest metre)

●
2 From the top of a building 90 m tall, the angle of depression to a car parked
on the ground is 48°. Find the distance of the car from the base of the building.
Write your answer correct to 2 decimal places.
horizontal
90 48°
tan 48°   
d
d tan 48°  90
90 90 m
d   90  tan 48 
tan 48°
d  81.036 363 99 (from the calculator) 48°
 d  81.04 m (correct to 2 decimal places) d

E x e r c i s e 9H A N G L E S O F E L E VAT I O N A N D D E P R E S S I O N

■
1 A man 1.65 m tall is 18 m away from a tower that is
25 m tall. What is the angle of elevation of the top of the
tower from his eyes? Give your answer correct to the
nearest degree. 25 m

u
1.65 m
18 m

C H A P T E R 9 T R I G O N O M E T R Y 317
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■
2 From the top of a building 80 m tall, the angle of depression
of a rubbish bin on the ground is 52°. Find the distance of
the bin from the base of the building. Write your answer
correct to 2 decimal places.

■
3 A tree is 20 m tall and casts
a horizontal shadow 28.7 m
long. Find the angle of 20 m
elevation of the sun to the
nearest degree. u
28.7 m

■
4 A boat is 300 m from the base of a vertical cliff. Natalie, who is h
sitting in the boat, notes the angle of elevation of the top of the
cliff as 53°. How high is the cliff? Give your answer correct to the
nearest metre. 53°
300 m

■
5 A railway track rises uniformly 9.5 m for every
250 m
250 m along the track. Find the angle of 9.5 m
elevation of this track to the nearest minute. u

■
6 A building that is 38 m tall casts a horizontal shadow 25.6 m long.
Find the angle of elevation of the sun to the nearest minute.
38 m

■
7 Find the angle of depression u u
from the top of a vertical cliff 95 m
25.6 m
95 m high to a boat 300 m
from the foot of the cliff. 300 m
Give your answer correct to
the nearest degree.

■
8 The angle of elevation of the top of a tower is 40° from a point
on the ground 110 m from the middle of the foot of the h
tower. Calculate the height of the tower in metres correct to
2 decimal places. 40°
110 m
■
9 From a point on top of a building
that is 98 m tall, the angle of
depression of a car is 37°.
How far is the car from the
foot of the building? Give
your answer correct to the
nearest metre.

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■
10 From a point on the ground 86 m from the base of a tree,
the angle of elevation of the top of the tree is 47°. Find
the height of the tree to the nearest metre.
h

47°
86 m

■
11 The pitch of a roof is 50° and a room is to be built inside
the roof space. The height of the ceiling of the room is
3 m. How far in from the side of the roof will the wall of
3m 50°
the room be?
d

■
12 This diagram is of a gable roof. Calculate
, the
pitch angle of the roof, to the nearest minute. A
m 13
13 m
5m
u
B D C
24 m

■
13 A 9.8 m wire extends from the top of a pole to the ground.
From the point where the wire reaches the ground, the
angle of elevation to the top of the pole is 68°. Find the
9.8 m
height of the pole correct to 2 decimal places.

■
14 From a point on a cliff 85 m above sea-level, the angle of
depression of a boat is 33°. Find the distance of the boat 68°
from the foot of the cliff correct to 2 decimal places.

■
15 Alison is sitting in a park and looks towards the top of a 155 m tower at an angle of
elevation of 43°. How far is she sitting from the base of the tower, to the nearest metre?

■
16 Two points A and B are on the ground on either side of a P
pole GP that is 25 m tall. The angle of elevation from A to
P is 40° and from B to P is 60°. Find the distance AB to
the nearest metre. 25 m

40° 60°
A G B

■
17 The angle of elevation of the top of a cliff from a boat 500 m out to sea was 18°.
The boat then travelled a further distance d out to sea, and the angle of elevation of
the cliff became 14°.
a Show this information on a diagram.
b Find the height of the cliff above sea-level to the nearest metre.
c Find the value of d to the nearest metre.

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Bearings
Bearings are used to indicate the direction of one point from another. N

Basic directions are given with reference to four points of the compass:
north (N), east (E), south (S) and west (W). These directions are at
right angles (90°) to one another.
N W E
These basic directions can be divided
up into units of 45°, so that north-west NW NE

(NW) is 45° west of north, south-east

(SE) is 45° east of south and so on. S
W E
These directions can be further
1
divided in units of 22 2°. NNW N NNE
SW SE
For example, south-south-west (SSW) is NW NE
1 S
22 2° south of south-west and south-south-east WNW ENE
1
(SSE) is 22 2° south of south-east.
W E
However, more precise bearings (with directions written to
WSW ESE
the nearest degree) are often required. There are two methods
of writing these bearings: using true bearings or using SW SE
compass bearings. SSW S SSE

For true bearings:

p Measure the angle from true north.
p Measure in a clockwise direction.
p Write the angle using 3 digits with ‘T’ after it.
For compass bearings:
p Begin from either north or south.
p Measure an acute angle clockwise or anticlockwise.
p Write first the direction from where you start, then the acute angle and then
the direction to which you moved.

The bearings in the following diagrams are given using both methods.
N N N
P

P 30°
60° 170°
W E W E W E
330°

10°
P
S S S
060°T or N60°E 170°T or S10°E 330°T or N30°W

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Examples
●
1 A ship sails 15 km due north of a port P, then sails in N
an easterly direction. How far (to the nearest kilometre) S
Q ship
is it from P when its bearing from P is N46°E?
15 km 46° d
In
PQS:
15 W E
cos 46°  d
P

d cos 46°  15
15
d   15  cos 46  S
cos 46°
d  21.593 348 09 (from the calculator)
 d  22 km (to the nearest kilometre)

●
2 In this diagram, AQ is 5 km and QP is 3 km. Find the N
bearing of P from A correct to the nearest degree.
In
AQP :
tan

3

5 SHIFT tan 3 a b/c 5  A 5 km Q
W E
u

 30.963 756 53° (from the calculator) 3 km


 31° (to the nearest degree) P

The bearing of point P from point A is 121°T (or S59°E).

S

E x e r c i s e 9I BEARINGS

■
1 What is the size of the angle between each pair of directions?
a N and E b E and W c N and NE d S and SSW
e NNW and WNW f NNE and ENE g ESE and SSE h S and NW

■
2 Draw a diagram to show each bearing:
a 025°T b 335°T c N50°E d S20°W
e 210°T f N80°W g 055°T h S40°E
i 260°T j S35°W k N30°W l N28°E

■
3 Write the true bearing and the compass bearing of P from O:
a N b N P c N

20°

70° P

W E W E W E
O O O
P
15°

S S S

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d N e N f N
P
30°

O
W E W E W E
70° O O
40°

P
P S S S

g N h N i N

P
P 15°
P
28° 34°
W E W E W E
O O O

S S S

■
4 A small aircraft takes off due north, then turns and flies 50 km due west. The aircraft is
then N65°W of its starting point. How many kilometres did it fly due north? Give your
answer correct to 1 decimal place.

■
5 A lighthouse is 7 nautical miles north-east of a ship. How far is the ship west of the
lighthouse (correct to 2 decimal places)?

■
6 The bearing of P from O is 170°T and P is 5 km from O. N
Find (correct to 1 decimal place) the distance:
a OQ
b QP
170° Q
If there is no W E
O
diagram given,
draw your own.
5 km
P
S

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■
7 A ship sails 12 nautical miles east and then 18 nautical miles south. Find its bearing (to
the nearest degree) from the starting point.

■
8 A man walks due west, then turns and walks due north. He is then 750 m N58°W from
his starting point. How far (to the nearest metre) did he walk:
a west? b north?

■
9 An aircraft travels due east for 50 km and then flies south 30 km.
a Show this information on a diagram.
b Write the aircraft’s bearing from its starting point using:
i a true bearing ii a compass bearing
Give your answers correct to the nearest degree.

■
10 A woman walks 15 km on a bearing of 210°. Find:
a how far she is west of her starting point
b how far she is south of her starting point
Give your answers correct to the nearest kilometre.

■
11 A ship sails 45 nautical miles from Sydney on a bearing of S30°E. How far (to the nearest
nautical mile) is the ship south of Sydney?

■
12 A ship was 300 nautical miles due north of a lighthouse. It sailed on a bearing of 120°T
until it was due east of the lighthouse. Find the new distance between the ship and the
lighthouse correct to the nearest nautical mile.

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literaacy skillsil
P R O B L E M S O LV I N G 9

The area (A) of a regular polygon is given by:

2
ns
A  180
4 tan n
where n is the number of sides and s is the length of one side.
For example, the area of a regular pentagon of side length 10 cm is:
2 10 cm
5 10
A  
2
180 cm
4 tan 5
■
1 a Use the formula above to calculate the area of a square of side length 6 cm.
2
b How does this answer compare with the answer you obtain using A  l ?

■
2 Calculate the area of an equilateral triangle of side length 8.0 cm.

■
3 Measure the side length of a 50c coin. Use this to calculate the area of the coin.

■
4 a Use the formula to calculate the area of an octagon of side length 20 cm.
b Calculate the area of an octagon of side length 40 cm.
c Is the area of the larger octagon twice the area of the smaller one?

■
5 There are two regular polygons of side length 10 cm, one of which has 9 sides and the
other 18 sides.
a Calculate the areas of both polygons.
b Is the area of the 18-sided polygon twice the area of the 9-sided polygon?

Another formula to calculate the area of a regular polygon is:

1 2 360
A  2 nR sin n R

where n is the number of sides and R is the distance from the

centre of the polygon to a vertex.

■
6 Use this formula to calculate the area of each polygon:
a b c d
12 cm
3.5 cm 18 cm 3.4 m

■
7 Calculate:
a the area of the circle
b the area of the regular polygon
c the shaded area 7.5 cm

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Literacy
L
Li c
racy skills
acy skillsil kills Literac y SKILLS 9

trigonometry hypotenuse adjacent

opposite right-angled sine cosine tangent
trigonometric elevation depression bearing

■
1 a Use a dictionary to explain how the word trigonometry is formed.
b Is this a suitable name for this topic?
literacy

■
2 Use a dictionary to define the word adjacent.

■
3 Try to fit all of these words in the grid below:
adjacent alpha angle beta cosine degree depression
elevation exact hypotenuse length opposite ratio right
side sine tangent theta triangle trigonometric trigonometry

L O

E
A

■
4 A mnemonic is a memory aid; for example, ‘My Very Earnest Mother Just Sited Us Nine
Planets’ can help you remember the order of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto). Make up a mnemonic to help you remember
SOH CAH TOA.

■
5 Some people do not like to sit close to the front in a cinema. Explain how the angle of
elevation from the seat to the screen changes as you move further backwards.

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Chapter review 9

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1 Name each side in the following right-angled triangles as opposite (O), adjacent (A) or
hypotenuse (H) with reference to the angle marked:
a
a b c
d
r e
p
c b
f
q

■
2 For each triangle, find cos
and tan :
a b p c d
a a u

e
10 m f
q
r
a

u u
n

■
3 Use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the unknown side and then find sin
and tan
for
each triangle:
a b 12 c
u 5 m
x
3
u
35 13
u y
4

■
4 Find the value of each expression correct to 2 decimal places:
tan 72° 18.7 60.9 tan 56°
a  b  c 
5.6 sin 56°31 sin 30°53
■
5 Find acute angle A to the nearest degree:
a sin A  0.4386 b cos A  0.7532 c tan A  1.238

■
6 Find the value of the unknown side correct to 2 decimal places:
a b p c
16.7 m
l
20° 8.6 cm
m 50° 36°
9.5 mm

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7 Evaluate correct to 2 decimal places:
62.68
a 82.5 cos 38°27 b 
tan 30°45
■
8 Find acute angle A to the nearest degree:
15 sin 70°
b sin A  
6.5
a tan A  
17.8 28

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9 In
ABC, B  90°, C  56° and BC  200 m. Find AB and AC C

correct to 1 decimal place. 56°

200 m

A B

■
10 The angle of elevation of the top of a tree is 43° from a T
point P on the ground 65 m from the foot of the tree.
Calculate the height of the tree in metres correct to
1 decimal place.

43°
P 65 m F

■
11 A tree is 30 m tall and casts a horizontal shadow
32.6 m long. Find the angle of elevation of the sun to the
nearest minute. 30 m

u
32.6 m

■
12 A road rises uniformly 20.8 m for every 400 m along the road.
Find the angle of elevation of this road correct to the 400 m
nearest minute. 20.8 m

■
13 PQRS is a rectangle in which PQ  23 cm and P 23 cm Q
PQS  41°. Find to the nearest centimetre: 41°

a the length of side PS

b the length of diagonal QS

S R

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■
14 A 3.5 m ladder reaches 1.7 m up a wall. At what angle
(to the nearest minute) is it resting against the wall?
u
3.5 m
1.7 m

■
15 A fallen tree 9.5 m tall leans against a building. Find how
far its foot is from the building (correct to 1 decimal
place), given that it makes an angle of 65° with the
horizontal ground.

■
16 In
ABC, A  73°, B  90° A 9.5 m

and BC  25 cm. Find the 73°

value of AC to the 65°
nearest centimetre. C 25 cm B d

■
17 Calculate the size of angle

to the nearest minute. 8.65

u
5.38 u
■
18 Calculate the angle that a diagonal makes with the
longer side of a rectangle that has dimensions 10 cm by 10 cm

15 cm. Give your answer correct to the nearest minute.

15 cm

■
19 A boat is 50 m from the base of a vertical cliff.
Michelle, who is sitting in the boat, notes the angle
of elevation of the top of the cliff as 62°. How high
is the cliff ? Give your answer correct to the h
nearest metre.
A n
74° D
■
20 Find the values of m and 62°
n correct to the 50 m
nearest metre.

800 m

63°
B m C

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■
21 In
ABC, A  54°, B  90° and BC  30 cm. Find the A
value of AC to the nearest centimetre.
54°

■
22 Calculate the size of angle
to the 6.75 C 30 cm B
nearest minute.

u
3.49
25 cm
■
23 Calculate the angle that a diagonal makes with the u
longer side of a rectangle with dimensions 15 cm by
25 cm. Write your answer to the nearest minute. 15 cm

■
24 A pole is 15 m tall and casts a horizontal shadow
16.9 m long. Find the angle of elevation of the sun to
the nearest minute. 15 m

u
16.9 m

■
25 From a point on top of a building that is 50 m 41°
tall, the angle of depression of a car is 41°.
How far is the car from the foot of the building?
Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place. 50 m

■
26 Find the value of the pronumeral correct to 1 decimal place:
A
a b P

u
70 m 7m

32° 65°
B D C Q 6m S 8m R
d

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■
27 A town T is 30 km east and 85 km south of a town P. Find:
a the bearing of T from P (to the nearest degree)
b the distance from T to P (to the nearest kilometre)

■
28 A ship left port and sailed on a bearing of 170° for 300 km. How far south of the port is
the ship, to the nearest kilometre? (Draw a diagram first.)

■
29 A boat left port on a bearing of N65°E and is now 2200 km from its starting point. How
far north of the port is it? (Give your answer correct to the nearest kilometre.)

■
30 The pitch of this roof is 32° as shown. Given that R
RS  3000 mm, find to the nearest millimetre: 3000 mm

a the length RQ
b the length PQ 32° 32°
P S Q

■
31 From a height of 130 m above sea-level, a person P
observes a boat at sea at an angle of depression of 20°
130 m
20°. Find the horizontal distance BG correct to the
nearest metre.
B G

B
■
32 An isosceles triangle’s base is 38 cm long and its base
angles are 50°.
a Calculate the height BP.
b Calculate the area of the triangle. 50° 50°
A C
c What is the perimeter of the triangle? P
38 cm

■
33 A circle’s centre is at the origin. y

a What is the length of its radius, given that P(3, 4) P(3, 4)

lies on its circumference?
b What angle does the radius OP make with the
x-axis? 0 x

■
34 A rotating circular disk of radius 10 cm lug
has a lug on its rim that fits inside the
cavity of a shaft. As the disk rotates, the
ft
shaft moves from side to side. The shaft sha 10 cm

is fixed at a point of 20 cm from the θ

centre of the disk. Calculate the
angle (θ) through which it moves.

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