Right Triangle Problem Solving
Right Triangle Problem Solving
Mathematics
Quarter 4 – Module 6: Problems Involving Right Triangles
CO_Q4_Mathematics 9_ Module 6
Mathematics – Grade 9
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 4 – Module 6: Problems Involving Right Triangles
First Edition, 2020
Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work of the
Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office wherein
the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such agency or office
may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.
Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names, trademarks, etc.)
included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders. Every effort has been exerted
to locate and seek permission to use these materials from their respective copyright owners. The
publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.
Management Team:
Malcolm S. Garma Genia V. Santos
Dennis M. Mendoza Maria Magdalena M. Lim
Aida H. Rondilla Lucky S. Carpio
Mathematics
Quarter 4 – Module 6: Problems Involving Right
Triangles
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can
continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions, exercises,
and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.
Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-bystep as
you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.
Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM.
This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to ask
your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson. At the
end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to selfcheck your learning. Answer
keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in using these.
In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also provided to
our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can best help you on
your home-based learning.
Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part of this
SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And read the
instructions carefully before performing each task.
If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the tasks
in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.
Thank you.
What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here
to help you master Problems Involving Right Triangles. The scope of this module permits
it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse
vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of
the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the
textbook you are now using.
What I Know
Let us find out how much you already know about right triangle. Take note of the
items that you will not be able to answer correctly. Try to find the correct answer as you go
through this module. Use Calculator if needed. Write your answer in a separate sheet of
paper
Consider ∆
B
1) Which side of the triangle is the hypotenuse?
a. b. c. 25 cm
d.
a. b. c. d.
a. b. c.
d.
C B
11) If the legs of a right triangle are congruent, what is the measure of each acute
angle in the triangle?
a. b. c. d.
12) An airplane is flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet. If the angle of depression of the
airport is 100, how far must a radio signal travel from the airport to the plane in
feet?
a. 29,544 b. 30,463 c. 170,138 d. 172,763
13) A 50-foot ramp is used to load cargo onto an airplane. If the ramp makes a 23-
degree angle with the ground, how far away is the foot of the ramp from the plane?
a. 19.54 ft b. 21.22 ft c. 45 ft d. 46 ft
14) A 6-foot person casts a 5-foot shadow. What is the angle of elevation of the sun?
a. b. c. d.
15) The angle of elevation of a 50-meter-high balloon from observer A is 450 and from
observer B is . What is the distance between the two observers if they are both
In Solving Right Triangles, you can use your knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem
and the six trigonometric functions. Solving right triangle means computing for the missing
measures of sides and measures of angles. How you solve depends on how much
information are given.
What’s In
6 cm 7 cm
10 cm
V D
1) hypotenuse of
2) opposite side of
a) b) c)
3) adjacent side of
4) opposite side of
5) adjacent side of
6) opposite side of
7) adjacent side of
d) e) f)
8) hypotenuse of
9) opposite side of
10) adjacent side of
Activity 2. Use calculator to find the value of the following: (4 decimal place)
3) tan 400
Activity 3. Name the angle of elevation and angle of depression in the figure.
What’s New
“A good way to integrate problem solving is to spend some time building positive
attitudes and disposition about problem solving”.
-Randy Charles
One way to systematically approach problem solving is to use step-by-step process,
sometimes referred to as Problem Solving Guidelines.
2. Develop a plan
1. Understand the Problem What is
Have you ever worked a similar
the situation all about?
problem before?
What are you trying to find out?
Can you estimate or calculate?
What are the key data/
What strategies can you use?
conditions?
What are the assumptions?
Many practical problems in trigonometry can be solved using right triangle in the
situations. A sketch or drawing is helpful in setting up an appropriate triangle that involves
a right triangle. Identify the right angle and the other angles in the right triangle. Label the
sides and angles of the right triangle using the given information. Let the missing measure
of a side or missing measure of an angle be represented by a variable. Hope you can become
a successful problem solver.
What is It
Everybody is Looking Up
Mrs. Penaflor and her class went out into the street to find the height of the school
building. They made a simple sextant using a board protractor and a tripod. Each of the 18
students in the class measured the angle of elevation of the top of the building from a point
15 meters from the foot of the building and got an average angle measurement of 78.50.
Find the height of the school building to the nearest whole number. Do you think the school
is in the countryside or in the city? Explain.
WHAT DO YOU
THINK OF THIS!
1) S.O.S. An airplane
is flying at an altitude
of 30,000 feet. If the
angle of depression of
o the airport is 10o, how
78.5 far must a radio signal
15m travel from the airport
to the plane in feet? What is the horizontal distance of the plane from
the airport in feet?
A
o
(Angle of depression) 10
Radio signal
30,000ft
o
C 10 B
Airport
From the given problem 1, a right triangle can be formed by three points namely 1)
the location of the airplane (A) at the time of observation, 2) a point on the ground that
directly below the plane (B), and 3) the location of the airport (C). So, the right triangle
is ∆ABC with right angle at B.
= 172,763 feet h
Can you solve for the horizontal distance of the plane to the airport? Compare
your solution to your classmates. Note: You should give importance of the accurate
drawing or illustration when applying trigonometric functions to word problems.
2) To measure the width of a river, two trees at points A and B, on the opposite banks of a
river are identified. Segment AC along one bank is perpendicular to segment BA and is
measured to be 100 feet. Angle ACB is measured to be 79°. How far apart are the two
trees? or What is the width w of the river?
Since the side of the right triangle whose measure is given, is adjacent to the given
angle, and the side opposite the given angle is asked, then the tangent function is to be
used.
tan w
=
79o 100
100 (tan
w =
79o)
100
w =
(5.1446)
w = 514.46 ft
The width of the river is 514.46 ft which is also the distance between the two trees A
and B.
What’s More
1) A building casts a shadow of 110 feet. If the angle of elevation of the top of the building from the tip of
the shadow is 290, find the height of the building.
2) Julia is flying a kite whose string makes a 70-degree angle with the ground. The kite string is 65
meters long. How far is the kite from the ground?
o
70
3) Daisy wants to calculate the height of a tree in her garden. She stands 20 meters away from the foot
of the tree. Using a clinometer, she measures the angle of elevation of the top of the tree to be .
How tall is the tree?
4) Bon Voyage. From a lighthouse 250 feet above sea level, a ship is spotted with an angle of depression
of 8 degrees. Approximately how far out at sea is the ship?
5) An airplane pilot finds the angle of depression of the airport to be 100. If the altitude of the airplane at
that moment is 15,000 feet, what is the horizontal distance of the plane from the airport in feet?
• The angle of depression equals the angle of elevation because they are alternate interior
angles if the parallel lines are cut by a transversal which is usually the line of sight.
• To solve problems involving angle of elevation or angle of depression; first, carefully
draw the figure (look for the right triangle); second, label the illustration using the given
measures; third, determine the known side if it is opposite or adjacent to the given
angle or the hypotenuse of the right triangle. Next determine the trigonometric function
to be used then set up the equation and solve.
What I Can Do
With given examples above, are you ready now to solve more problems? Let’s try to
answer first the following.
2) If the given measures are length of the hypotenuse and a measure of an acute angle in a right
triangle, and the unknown is a length of a leg, what trigonometric function are you going to use?
3) If the given are the measures of two legs and you are asked to find the measures of the acute
angles, what trigonometric functions will you use?
80 ft
Problem Solving Involving Right Triangles
NAME: DATE:
Instructions: Read and answer each of the following problems carefully. Choose the letter of the
correct answer and show your solutions on the space provided.
A. A north-south road and an east-west road end at the shore of a lake at points A and B,
respectively. From point A, the line of sight to point B makes a 400 angle with the north-south
road. Point B is known to be 4 km from the intersection of the roads.
1. Which is the appropriate drawing of the situation?
a. c.
d.
b.
2. How far is point A from the intersection? Show your solution on the space provided.
a. 3.38 km c. 5.22 km
b. 4.76 km d. 6.22 km
3. How far is it across the lake from A to B? Show your solution on the space provided.
a. 3.38 km c. 5.22 km
b. 4.76 km d. 6.22 km
B. Points P and Q are on the opposite sides of a house. Point S is 100 ft away from point P so
that angle S measures 900 and angle P measures 420.
4. Which is the appropriate illustration of the situation?
a. c.
b. d.
C. A flagpole casts a 24-foot shadow when the angle of elevation of the sun is 600.
a.
b.
d.
c.
a.
c.
b. d.
10. How long is the cable if it forms a 700 angle with the ground?
a. 219.80 ft. c. c. 29.11 ft.
b. 85.13 ft. d. d. 27.36 ft.
11. If the cable forms a 700 angle with the ground, how far is the base of tower to the cable on the
ground?
a. 219.80 ft. c. 29.11 ft.
b. 85.13 ft. d. 27.36 ft
E. From point P on the ground, 50 m from a building, the angle of elevation of the base of a
flagpole at the top of the building is 40.50 and the angle of elevation of the flag is 45.30.
12. Which is the appropriate illustration of the situation?
c.
a.
d.
b.
If you are inside the elevator, how will you apply social distancing when
the floor of the elevator is only 0.9m x 0.9m?
With the several examples that were solved, are you ready now to solve more problems? Let’s try to
answer first the following.
2) If the given measures are length of the hypotenuse and a measure of an acute angle in a right
triangle, and the unknown is a length of a leg, what trigonometric function are you going to use?
3) If the given are the measures of two legs and you are asked to find the measures of the acute
angles, what trigonometric functions will you use?
4) Can we solve the problem number 1 using another trigonometric function? What other
trigonometric function can we use?
Answer Key
References
Clyde A. Dilley, Steven P. Meiring, John E. Tarr, Ross Taylor (1987) Algebra 2 with Trigonometry D.C.
Heath and Company, Lexington, Massachusetts Toronto
David Cohen (1997) Pre- Calculus 5th edition, West Publishing Company Opperman Drive Minneapolis USA
Randall, Thompson,Garland, Moressh, Ross (1996) Secondary Math an Integrated Approach ( Focus on
Algebra) Addison, Wesley Publishing Company Inc. USA
Yunker, Elswick,Crosswhite and Vannata, (1991) Advanced Mathematical Concepts. Merrill Publishing
Company, Columbus,Ohio United States of America.
Soledad Jose-Dilao,Ed,D, Fernando B. Orines, Julieta G. Bernabe (20030 Advanced Algebra, Trigonometry
and Statistics JTW Corporation Araneta Ave, Quezon City Philippines.
E-Search
To further explore the concept learned today and if it possible to connect the internet, you may visit the
following links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRH1xN871C4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLJaXCmzfo
https://www.cut-the-knot.org/pythagoras/cosine2.shtml https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/trig-
sine-law.html https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/trig-cosine-law.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5ng9Cq-eA
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call: