Unit 6 – Solving Oblique Triangles

1. Solve each of the following triangles. 3 decimal places and decimal degrees unless DMS given.

A = 62° a = a = 9.93 A = 68.90° a = 19.4

a. B = 78° b = 11 b. B = 72.4° b = 19.82

C = 40° c = c = 7.23 C = 38.7° c = 13.00

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A = 19.2° a = 26.96 A = 122.5° a = 5.87 ft

c. B = 152.10° b = 38.36 d. B = 38.2° b = 4.30 ft
C = 8.7° c = 12.4 C = 19.30° c = 2.3 ft

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A = 19°15" a = 1.01 A = 24°32" a = 1.61 mm

e. B = 103°57" b = 2.97 f. B = 82°49" b = 3.84 mm
C = 56°48" c = 2.56 C = 72°39" c = 3.69 mm

2. Determine how many triangles are possible in the following SSA situations. Do not actually solve the
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triangles.

A = 152° a = 42 A = 31° a=6

a. B = ________ b = 55 b. B = ________ b = 4.5
C = ________ c = _________ C = ________ c = _________

Drawing: Drawing:
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Triangles Possible: None Triangles possible: One

6. Oblique Triangles - 12 -
 A = 151° a = 125 A = 68° a = 12
c. B = ________ b = 79 d. B = ________ b = 55
C = ________ c = _________ C = ________ c = _________

Drawing: Drawing:
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Triangles Possible: One Triangles possible: None

A = 27° a = 12 A = 58° a = 25
e. B = ________ b = 17 f. B = ________ b = 30
C = ________ c = _________ C = ________ c = _________

Drawing: Drawing:
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Triangles Possible: Two Triangles possible: None

A = ________ a = 40 A = ________ a = _________

g. B = 122° b = 38 h. B = 142° b = 19
C = ________ c = _________ C = ________ c=6

Don’t get upset that you aren’t given A, a, and b in exercises g - j. You can still draw the pictures.
Drawing: Drawing:
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Triangles Possible: None Triangles possible: One

6. Oblique Triangles - 13 -
 A = ________ a = _________ A = ________ a = _________
i. B = ________ b=6 j. B = ________ b = 50
C = 36°12" c = 16 C = 26°49" c = 38

Drawing: Drawing:
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Triangles Possible: One Triangles possible: Two

3. These are some of the same problems in section 2 above –those that have 1 or 2 solutions. Solve them. If
they have two solutions, you will need to make another chart.

A = 31° a=6 A = 151° a = 125

a. B = 22.72° b = 4.5 b. B = 17.84° b = 79

C = 126.28° c = 9.39 C = 11.16° c = 49.89

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A = 26.79° a = 13.91 A = 131°00" a = 20.44

c. B = 142° b = 19 d. B = 12°48" b=6
C = 11.21° c =6 C = 36°12" c = 16

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6. Oblique Triangles - 14 -
 A = 27° a = 12 A = 12°30" a = 3.31 ft

e. B = 40.03° b = 17 f. B = 66°16" b = 14 feet

C = 112.97° c = 24.34 C = 101°14 " c = 5 yards

A = 27° a = 12
B" = 139.97° b = 17 !
!
C = 13.03° c = 5.96

A = 116°46" a = 75.20
! A = 58° a = 25
g. B = 36°25" b = 50 h. B = ________ b = 30
C = 26°49" c = 38 C = ________ c = _________

A = 9°36" a = 14.05
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B" = 143°35" b = 50 Not Possible
C = 26°49" c = 38

4. Solve the following triangles using the Law of Cosines (and then the law of Sines).

A = 91.36° a = 22 A = 41.18° a = 99

a. B = 42° b = 14.73 b. B = 15.82° b = 41

C = 46.64° c = 16 C = 123° c = 126.11

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A = 29.90° a = 28 A = 141.24° a = 1 yard

c. B = 48.40° b = 42 d. B = 24.67° b = 2 feet

C = 101.70° c = 55 C = 14.09° c = 14 inches

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6. Oblique Triangles - 15 -
 A = 58.75° a = 4500 mm
A = ________ a=7
e. B = 71.79° b = 5000 mm f. B = ________ b=5
C = 49.46° c = 4000 mm C = ________ c = 20

Impossible

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5. Find the areas of the following triangles.

A = ________ a = 22 A = ________ a = 99
a. B = 42° b = _________ b. B = ________ b = 41
C = ________ c = 16 C = 123° c = ________

Area = 117.77 Area = 1702.08

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A = ________ a = 28 A = ________ a = 1 yard

c. B = ________ b = 42 d. B = ________ b = 2 feet
C = ________ c = 55 C = ________ c = 14 inches

Area = 575.58 Area = 105.18 in2

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A = ________ a = 4500 mm A = ________ a=7

e. B = ________ b = 5000 mm f. B = ________ b=5
C = ________ c = 4000 mm C = ________ c = 20

Area = 8,549,259.84 Area = Impossible

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A = 151° a = 125 A = 58° a = 25

g. B = 17.84° b = 79 h. B = ________ b = 30
C = 11.16° c = _________ C = ________ c = _________

Area = 955.65 Area = Impossible

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6. Oblique Triangles - 16 -
 6. Two roads intersect at an angle of 52.7° with a field in between. A girl is walking on one of the roads 1.5
miles from their intersection. Her house lies 0.85 miles from the intersection along the other road. If she
cuts across the field to her house, how much walking mileage will she save?
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d 2 = .85 2 + 1.5 2 " 2(.85)(1.5) cos52.7°
d = 1.19 Distance saved = .85 + 1.5 "1.19 = 1.16 miles

7. Kurt wants to sail!his boat from a marina to an island 15 miles east of the marina. Along the course, there
are several small islands they must avoid. He sails first on a heading of 70° and then on a heading of 120°
(remember that headings angle measures rotated clockwise from the north). What is the total distance he
travels before reaching the island?
! 30°
15sin !
A = 30° a = __ a= = 9.79
sin130°
B = 20° b = __
15sin20°
C = 130° c = 15 b= = 6.70 Total distance : 16.49 miles
sin130°

! two points on level ground. From point A, the angle of elevation is 18° and from
8. A balloon is sighted from
point B the angle of elevation is 12° . A and B!are 8.4 miles apart. Find the height of the balloon if a) A
and B are on opposite sides of the balloon and b) A and B are on the same sides of the balloon.
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8.4 sin18° 8.4 sin12°

a= = 5.19 a= = 16.71
sin150° sin6°
h = 5.19sin12° = 1.08 miles h = 16.71sin12° = 3.47 miles

9. A golfer takes two putts to get the ball into the hole. The first putt rolls the ball 10.3 feet in the northwest
! direction and the second putt sends!the ball due north 3.8 feet into the hole. How far was the ball originally
from the hole?

d 2 = 3.8 2 + 10.32 " 2( 3.8)(10.3) cos135° = 13.26 ft

6. Oblique Triangles - 17 -

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 10. Two markers A and B are on the same side of a canyon rim and are 72 feet apart. A third marker is located
across the rim at point C. A surveyor determines that "BAC = 70°12# and "ABC = 51°38#. Find the
distance between A and C.

72sin51°38"
AC = = 66.45 ft !
sin58°10"

11. A blimp is sighted simultaneously by two observers: A at the top of a 650-foot tower and B at the base of
the tower. Find the distance of the blimp from observer A if the angle of elevation as viewed by A is 31°
and the angle of elevation as viewed by B is 58° . Find the height of the blimp also.

650sin121°
a= = 1227.25 !
! sin27°
h = 1227.25sin58 = 1.040.76 ft

12. As I complete the Boston Marathon, I view the top of the Prudential Center building at an angle of
elevation of 7°29" . I run one mile closer and now view the angle of elevation as 11°28" . How tall is the
Prudential building and how far away from it am I now?

5280sin 7°29"
! a= = 9899.13
!
sin 3°59"
h = 9899.13sin11°28". = 1,967.92 ft
x = 9899.13sin11°28" = 9701.54 ft = 1.84 miles

13. A triangular piece of land in a park is to be made into a flower-bed. Stakes

have been driven into the ground at ! the vertices of the triangle which we will
call B, E, and D. The gardener can only locate the two stakes at B and E. BE
measures 6.2 meters, and the gardener recalls that the angle at B is 60° and
the side opposite the 60° angle is to be 5.5 meters in length. Based on this
information how far from B should the gardener search for the missing
stake?
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B = 60° ! b = 5.5 B = 60° b = 5.5
E = 42.51° e = 4.29 ft or E = 17.49° e = 1.91 ft
D = 77.49° d = 6.2 D = 102.51° d = 6.2

6. Oblique Triangles - 18 -
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