Chapter 20: Review
Return to the garden problem
The garden is m by m. The path is the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle.
The estimate should have been near m. The result is longer than either side and shorter than going around two edges, so it is plausible.
Mixed practice
For each question, name the method and explain why it fits before calculating.
- A ladder is 13 m long and reaches 12 m up a wall. Find its distance from the wall. Which right-triangle method applies?
- A 10 m pole is viewed from 10 m away. Find the angle of elevation. Which ratio connects the measurements?
- Two sides of a triangle are 7 cm and 9 cm, with included angle 60°. Find the third side. Which rule fits?
- Sides 8 cm and 11 cm include angle 30°. Find the area. Which area formula fits?
- A cuboid measures 3 cm by 4 cm by 12 cm. Find its space diagonal. How many right triangles do you need?
- In a triangle, cm, , and . Find .
- Work out exactly .
- A triangle has sides 5 cm, 6 cm and 8 cm. Find the angle opposite the longest side.
Answers and checks
- Pythagoras: m. 2. Tangent: . 3. Cosine rule: cm. 4. cm. 5. Two triangles; cm. 6. cm. 7. . 8. Cosine rule: about .
Reflection: Which measurements help you choose between Pythagoras, a trigonometric ratio, the sine rule, the cosine rule, and the area formula? Which method can you now explain without notes?