CHAPTER 2: Further Trigonometry 2H Further Three-Dimensional Trigonometry 75

The diagrams above show a piece AB of the road of length £.

Let B = LBAM be the angle of inclination of the road,
and let f3 = LB N M be the angle of inclination of the hillside.
In 6ABM, BM = £Sin B,
an d AM = £ cos B.
In 6AMN, MN = AM coso:
= £ cos Bcos 0:.
In 6BMN, BM = NMtanf3
£Sin B = £ cos Bcos 0: tan f3
tan B = cos 0: tan f3.
But tan B and tan f3 are the gradients of the road and hillside respectively,
so the gradient of the road is m cos 0:.

Exercise 2H
1. A balloon B is due north of an observer P and its angle of elevation is 62°. From another
observer Q 100 metres from P, the balloon is due west and its angle of elevation is 55°.
Let the height of the balloon be h metres and let C be the point on the level ground
vertically below B.
(a) Show that PC = hcot62°, and write down a similar
expression for QC.
(b) Explain why LPCQ = 90°.
(c) Use Pythagoras' theorem in 6CPQ to show that
2
h2 _ 100
- cot 2 62° + cot 2 55° .
(d) Hence find h, correct to the nearest metre.
2. From a point P due south of a vertical tower, the angle of elevation of the top of the tower
is 20°. From a point Q situated 40 metres from P and due east of the tower, the angle of
elevation is 35°. Let h metres be the height of the tower.
(a) Draw a diagram to represent the situation.
40
(b) Show that h = , and evaluate h, correct to the nearest metre.
v'tan 70° + tan 2 55°
2

3. In the diagram, T F represents a vertical tower of height

x metres standing on level ground. From P and Q at ground
level, the angles of elevation of Tare 22° and 27° respec-
tively. PQ = 63 metres and LP FQ = 51 0.
(a) Show that P F = x cot 22° and write down a similar
expression for QF.
63 2
(b) Use the cosine rule to show that x 2 = .
cot 2 22° + cot 2 27° - 2 cot 22° cot 27° cos 51 °
(c) Use a calculator to show that x '* 32.
4. The points P, Q and B lie in a horizontal plane. From P,
which is due west of B, the angle of elevation of the top of
a tower AB of height h metres is 42°. From Q, which is on h
a bearing of 196° from the tower, the angle of elevation of
the top of the tower is 35°. The distance PQ is 200 metres. B
76 CHAPTER 2: Further Trigonometry CAMBRIDGE MATHEMATICS 3 UNIT YEAR 12

(a) Explain why LPBQ = 74°.

2
(b) Show that h 2 = cot 2 42° + cot 2 35° -200
2 cot 35° cot 42° cos 74°
.
(c) Hence find the height of the tower, correct to the nearest metre.
_ _ _ _ _ DEVELOPMENT _ _ _ __

5. The diagram shows a tower of height h metres standing on

level ground. The angles of elevation of the top T of the
tower from two points A and B on the ground nearby are
55° and 40° respectively. The distance AB is 50 metres and
the interval AB is perpendicular to the interval AF, where
F is the foot of the tower.
(a) Find AT and BT in terms of h.
(b) What is the size of LBAT?
50 sin 55° sin 40°
( c) Use Pythagoras' theorem in 6,B AT to show that h = -----;=~=====;~=
Jsin 2 55° - sin 2 40°
(d) Hence find the height of the tower, correct to the nearest metre.
6. The diagram shows two observers P and Q 600 metres apart T
on level ground. The angles of elevation of the top T of a
landmark T L from P and Q are 9° and 12° respectively. The
bearings of the landmark from P and Q are 32° and 306°
respectively. Let h = T L be the height of the landmark.
(a) Show that LPLQ = 86°.
(b) Find expressions for P Land QL in terms of h.
(c) Hence show that h ~ 79 metres.
7. PQ is a straight level road. Q is x metres due east of P. A vertical tower of height
h metres is situated due north of P. The angles of elevation of the top of the tower from
P and Q are a and (3 respectively.
(a) Draw a diagram representing the situation.
(b) Show that x 2 + h 2 cot 2 a = h 2 cot 2 (3.
x sin a sin (3
( c) Hen ce show th at h = -----;=:==::;===::;===::;===~
Jsin(a + (3) sin(a - (3)
8. In the diagram of a triangular pyramid, AQ = x, BQ = y, PQ h, LAPB (),
LPAQ = a and LP BQ = (3. Also, there are three right angles at Q.
( a) Show that x = h cot a and write down a similar expres-
sion for y.
(b) Use Pythagoras' theorem and the cosine rule to show
h2
that cos () = .
J(x 2 + h 2)(y2 + h 2)
( c) Hence show that sin a sin (3 = cos (). B
9. A man walking along a straight, flat road passes by three observation points P, Q and R
at intervals of 200 metres. From these three points, the respective angles of elevation of
the top of a vertical tower are 30°, 45° and 45°. Let h metres be the height of the tower.
(a) Draw a diagram representing the situation.
(b) (i) Find, in terms of h, the distances from P, Q and R to the foot F of the tower.
(ii) Let LF RQ = a. Find two different expressions for cos a in terms of h, and hence
find the height of the tower.
CHAPTER 2: Further Trigonometry 2H Further Three-Dimensional Trigonometry 77

10. ABCD is a triangular pyramid with base BCD and perpendicular height AD.
(a) Find BD and CD in terms of h. A
(b) Use the cosine rule to show that 2h2 = x2 - v'3 hx. h
h
(c) Let u = -.
x
Write the result of the previous part as a D
quadratic equation in u, and hence show that
h B
x 4
11. The diagram shows a rectangular pyramid. The base ABCD has sides 2a and 2b and its
diagonals meet at M. The perpendicular height T M is h. Let LAT B = 0:, LBTC = f3
and LATC = e.
(a) Use Pythagoras' theorem to find AC, AM and AT in
terms of a, band h.
(b) Use the cosine rule to find cos 0:, cos f3 and cos in terms e
of a, band h. '?--i---\----3>c

(c) Show that cos 0: + cos f3 = 1 + cos e. "--_-:----_--.V

A 2a B
2b

12. The diagram shows three telegraph poles of equal height h metres standing equally spaced
on the same side of a straight road 20 metres wide. From an observer at P on the other
side of the road directly opposite the first pole, the angles of elevation of the tops of the
other two poles are 12° and 8° respectively. Let x metres be the distance between two
adjacent poles.
2 x 2 + 20 2
( a) Show that h = cot2 120 . h

202( cot 2 8° - cot 2 12°)

(b) Hence show that x 2 = 2 2
4 cot 12° - cot 8°
p
(c) Hence calculate the distance between adjacent poles,
correct to the nearest metre.
13. A building is in the shape of a square prism with base edge
f metres and height h metres. It stands on level ground. The
diagonal AC of the base is extended to J(, and from J(, the
respective angles of elevation of F and G are 30° and 45°.
(a) Show that BJ(2 = h 2 +f 2 +V2hf.
(b) Hence show that 2h2 - f2 = V2 hf.
(c) Deducethat
l
h
= V2 +4 ViO .
14. From a point P on level ground, a man observes the angle of elevation of the summit of
a mountain due north of him to be 18°. After walking 3 km in a direction N500E to a
point Q, the man finds that the angle of elevation of the summit is now 13°.
(a) Show that (cot 2 13° - cot 2 18° )h 2 + (6000 cot 18° cos 500)h - 3000 2 = 0, where h metres
is the height of the mountain.
A
(b) Hence find the height, correct to the nearest metre. .----------,

15. A plane is flying at a constant height h, and with constant h E

speed. An observer at P sighted the plane due east at an
angle of elevation of 45°. Soon after it was sighted again in
a north-easterly direction at an angle of elevation of 60°.
p
78 CHAPTER 2: Further Trigonometry CAMBRIDGE MATHEMATICS 3 UNIT YEAR 12

(a) Write down expressions for PC and P D in terms of h.

(b) Show that CD 2 = ~h2(4 -v'6).
(c) Find, as a bearing correct to the nearest degree, the direction in which the plane is
fiying.
16. Three tourists T 1 , T2 and T3 at ground level are observing a landmark L. Tl is due north
of L, T3 is due east of L, and T2 is on the line of sight from Tl to T3 and between them.
The angles of elevation to the top of L from Tl, T2 and T3 are 25°,32° and 36° respectively.
cot 36°
(a) Show that tan LLTIT2 = ----,--,---
cot 25°
(b) Use the sine rule in 6.LT1 T2 to find, correct to the nearest minute, the bearing of T2
from L.
_ _ _ _ _ _ EXTENSION _ _ _ _ __

17. (a) Use the diagram on the right to show that the diame- B
a
ter B P of the circumcircle of 6.ABC is --:----A .
SIn
(b) A vertical tower stands on level ground. From three
observation points P, Q and R on the ground, the top
of the tower has the same angle of elevation of 30°. The c
distances PQ, P Rand Q Rare 60 metres, 50 metres and
40 metres respectively.
(i) Explain why the foot of the tower is the centre of p
the circumcircle of 6.PQ R.
(ii) Use the result in part (a) to show that the height of
the tower is ~~ v'2i metres.