QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

in
Math 104c (Trigonometry)

Prepared by

NELSON D. GURAY, MOM

Associate Professor IV
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Module 5 Solutions of Oblique Triangles

Lesson 2 The Law of Cosines
Competencies The student is expected to be able to:
1. prove the law of cosines; and
2. apply the law of cosines to solve triangles when the measures of two sides
and the included angle or the measures of three sides are given.
Discussion
The law of sines cannot be used to solve every triangle. If the measures of two
sides and the included angle (SAS) or the measures of all three sides (SSS) are
given, another formula called the law of cosines is used.

If you know the lengths of sides 𝑎 and 𝑏 in a triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶, and if the included
angle is a right angle, you can find side 𝑐 using the Pythagorean theorem,
𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 . If the included angle is not a right angle, you can use a
generalization of this theorem called the law of cosines.

Law of Cosines

For any triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are the lengths of

the sides opposite the angles with measures 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶,
respectively,
𝑎2 = 𝑏 2 + 𝑐 2 − 2𝑏𝑐 cos 𝐴
𝑏 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑐 2 − 2𝑎𝑐 cos 𝐵
𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 2𝑎𝑏 cos 𝐶

To prove the law of cosines it is necessary to consider two cases, one in which
the included angle is acute and another in which the included angle is obtuse.

In the figure, ∠𝐴, ∠𝐵, and ∠𝐶 represent the angles of

any acute triangle, and 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐, respectively,
represent the lengths of the sides opposite these angles.
Let ℎ be the length of an altitude that separates ∆𝐴𝐵𝐶
into two right triangles with common side 𝐴𝐷. Using the
Pythagorean theorem and the cosine ratio, you can
derive a relationship among 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and the measure of
∠𝐶. Note that since 𝑥 is the measure of segment 𝐷𝐶,
𝑎 − 𝑥 is the measure of segment 𝐵𝐷.

𝑐 2 = (𝑎 − 𝑥)2 + ℎ2 Apply the Pythagorean theorem to ∆𝐴𝐵𝐷

= 𝑎2 − 2𝑎𝑥 + 𝑥 2 + ℎ2
= 𝑎2 − 2𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 2 In ∆𝐴𝐷𝐶, 𝑏2 = ℎ2 + 𝑥2 , so substitute.
𝑥
= 𝑎2 − 2𝑎(𝑏 cos 𝐶) + 𝑏 2 cos 𝐶 = , so 𝑥 = 𝑏 cos 𝐶
𝑏
= 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 2𝑎(𝑏 cos 𝐶)
Therefore, 𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 2𝑎𝑏 cos 𝐶.

You can derive similar expression for 𝑎2 and 𝑏 2 .

Example 1. Find the length of side 𝑐 for the given triangle: ∠𝐶 = 60𝑜 , 𝑎 = 10, 𝑏 = 14.

Solution:

𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 2𝑎𝑏 cos 𝐶
= 102 + 142 − 2(10)(14) cos 60𝑜
= 100 + 196 − 280(0.5)
= 156
𝒄 = √𝟏𝟓𝟔 = 𝟏𝟐. 𝟒𝟗
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DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Example 2. Solve ∆𝐴𝐵𝐶 if ∠𝐵 = 98.1𝑜 , 𝑎 = 17.2, and 𝑐 = 21.5. Compute the missing
parts of ∆𝐴𝐵𝐶.

Solution:
For 𝑏:
𝑏 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑐 2 − 2𝑎𝑐 cos 𝐵
= (17.2)2 + (21.5)2 − 2(17.2)(21.5) cos 98.1𝑜
= 862.3006
𝑏 = √862.3006
𝒃 = 𝟐𝟗. 𝟒

For ∠𝐶, let us use law of sines. For ∠𝐴, use the definition of triangle
sin 𝐵 sin 𝐶
= ∠𝐴 + ∠𝐵 + ∠𝐶 = 180𝑜
𝑏 𝑐
𝑜
sin 98.1 sin 𝐶
= ∠𝐴 = 180𝑜 − (∠𝐵 + ∠𝐶)
29.4 21.5
21.5 sin 98.1𝑜 = 29.4 sin 𝐶 ∠𝐴 = 180𝑜 − (98.1𝑜 + 46.4𝑜 )
21.5 sin 98.1𝑜
sin 𝐶 = ∠𝑨 = 𝟑𝟓. 𝟓𝒐
29.4
sin 𝐶 = 0.7240
∠𝐶 = Arcsin (0.7240)
∠𝑪 = 𝟒𝟔. 𝟒𝒐

If the third form of the law of cosines, 𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 2𝑎𝑏 cos 𝐶, is solved for
cos 𝐶, it yields an expression for cos 𝐶 in terms of 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐, the three sides of the
triangle.
𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 2𝑎𝑏 cos 𝐶
2𝑎𝑏 cos 𝐶 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 𝑐 2
𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 − 𝑐 2
cos 𝐶 =
2𝑎𝑏
2
𝑏2 +𝑐 2 −𝑎2 𝑎2 +𝑐2 −𝑏
Similarly, you can show that cos 𝐴 =
2𝑏𝑐
and cos 𝐵 =
2𝑎𝑐
.

If the lengths of all three sides of a triangle are given, you can find two of the
missing angle measures by applying this form of the law of cosines twice. The
third angle measure can be found using the fact that the sum of the measures
of the angles of a triangle is 180°.

Example 3. Solve ∆𝐴𝐵𝐶 if 𝑎 = 43, 𝑏 = 39, and 𝑐 = 51.

Solution:
Since three sides are given, we can solve the
measures of the angles using,

𝑏 2 + 𝑐 2 − 𝑎2 𝑎2 + 𝑐 2 − 𝑏 2
a) cos 𝐴 = b) cos 𝐵 =
2𝑏𝑐 2𝑎𝑐

392 + 512 − 432 432 + 512 − 392

cos 𝐴 = cos 𝐵 =
2(39)(51) 2(43)(51)
∠𝐴 = Arccos (0.5714) ∠𝐵 = Arccos (0.6678)
𝒐
∠𝑨 = 𝟓𝟓. 𝟏𝟓 ∠𝑩 = 𝟒𝟖. 𝟏𝟎𝒐
For ∠𝐶, use the definition of triangle, that is,
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∠𝐴 + ∠𝐵 + ∠𝐶 = 180𝑜
∠𝐶 = 180𝑜 − (∠𝐴 + ∠𝐵)
∠𝐶 = 180𝑜 − (55.15𝑜 + 48.10𝑜 )
∠𝑪 = 𝟕𝟔. 𝟕𝟓𝒐
Therefore, ∠𝐴 = 55.15𝑜 , ∠𝐵 = 48.10𝑜 and ∠𝐶 = 76.75𝑜 .

Example 4. Two roads intersect at an angle of 102.5𝑜 . Your friend’s house is 176
meters from the intersection. Your house is on the other road and is
237 meters from the intersection. How far is it from your house to
your friend’s?

Solution: Let ∠𝐴 = 102.5𝑜 , 𝑏 = 237𝑚,

𝑐 = 176𝑚. Find 𝑎 (distance
between the two houses).

Using the formula 𝑎2 = 𝑏 2 + 𝑐 2 − 2𝑏𝑐 cos 𝐴,

we have

𝑎2 = (237)2 + (176)2 − 2(237)(176) cos 102.5𝑜

𝑎2 = 105201.2584
𝑎 = √105201.2584
𝑎 = 324.35 meters
Therefore, friend’s house is 324.35 meters away from yours’s.

Enrichment Try This!

Activity
A. Solve for the length of the missing side of each triangle. Round your answer
to four significant digits.

1. ∠𝐶 = 115°, 𝑎 = 11, 𝑏 = 21
2. ∠𝐴 = 34°, 𝑏 = 24, 𝑐 = 42

B. Solve each triangle for the specified angle measure. Round your answer to
the nearest degree.

1. 𝑎 = 11, 𝑏 = 14, 𝑐 = 17; ∠𝐴

2. 𝑎 = 23, 𝑏 = 43, 𝑐 = 31; ∠𝐵

C. Solve the following:

1. A triangular field is 138 meters on one side and 174 meters on another.
The sides meet in an angle 67.1°. Find the length of the third side, to
the nearest meter.

2. Given a quadrilateral ABCD with 𝐴𝐵 = 47, 𝐵𝐶 = 31, 𝐶𝐷 = 61,

∠𝐵 = 117°, and ∠𝐶 = 76°, determine 𝐴𝐷. Hint: This is a three-step
process.

Comprehension Use the concepts you to the following, write your complete solution in your problem
Check set notebook.

Solve the following:

1. Write an equation to solve for the indicated side. Do not solve the
equation
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a. b.

2. Solve triangle 𝑃𝑄𝑅.

a. ∠𝑅 = 30°, 𝑝 = 18, 𝑞 = 16
b. ∠𝑄 = 129°, 𝑝 = 45, 𝑟 = 71
c. 𝑝 = 27, 𝑞 = 33, 𝑟 = 41.

3. If triangular parcel of land has sides of lengths, 122 𝑚, 98 𝑚, and 76 𝑚,

what are the measures of the angles between the sides, to the nearest
tenth degree?

4. A parcel of land has sides measuring 175 ft, 234 ft, 295 ft, and 415 ft,
and the angle between the sides of length 234 ft and 295 ft has measure
137.1° . What is the measure of the angle opposite this angle, to the
nearest tenth of a degree?

Answers Key:
Try this!

A. 1. 𝑐 = 27.52 2. 𝑎 = 25.86

B. 1. ∠𝐴 = 40° 2. ∠𝐵 = 105°

C. 1. 𝑐 = 175 𝑚 2. 𝐴𝐷 = 41

References Hayden, J. and Hall, B. (1993). Trigonometry. Prentice Hall

Leithold, L. (1989). College Algebra and Trigonometry. Addison Wesley.
Malaborbor, P. et.al. (2003). Functions. Educational Resources Corp.
Moyer, R. & Ayres, F. (2012). Schaum’s Outline of Trigonometry, 5th
Edition, McGraw Hill.
Sullivan, Michael (2008). Algebra & Trigonometry 8th Edition. Prentice Hall