You can always refer to the filled out notes on my website or the dropbox if anything is unclear, and 1 ‘am always willing to go through it again if you would like. Y- How are you with this stuf? Ifyou would like Ican be here after school for a few minutes or you can shoot me an email. Also, I would really like for you to check out my website (filled out notes) and the resources there for you. They will offer other explanations and most are interactive! Assign Homework - see handouts ‘© Content Notes In this lesson, students will use right triangle trigonometry to develop the law of sines. Prior to this lesson, it is likely that students have only used trigonometry to solve problems involving right triangles. During this lesson, students will discover how trigonometry can be used to solve problems involving non-right triangles as well. Given a non-right triangle with unknown sides, the discussion is prompted by the following questions: ‘© How might you determine the measures of the missing angle and sides? (You don't actually have to find the missing measures; rather, describe how you think you would determine them.) ‘© [Since the sum of the three angles in every triangle is 180°, subtract the two angle measures from 180° to determine the measure of the third angle. Finding the side lengths is more difficult; finding a method for determining the side lengths is the purpose of this lesson] ‘Students will be asked to think about the questions individually. Then they will be able to discuss their ideas with a partner. Finally the class will discuss as a whole. After discussing the questions, distribute one Law of Sines Activity Sheet to each student, and. have students read the introduction. After students have read the introduction, make the connection between the problem posed at the beginning of class and the purpose of the activity. ‘Explain to students that during this activity, they will develop a method for solving problems that involve non-right triangles as well as right triangles. ‘The activity sheet provides students with specific instructions that guide them through the activity. The teacher will take on different roles as students engage in the activity. For the first six questions of the activity sheet, the teacher's role is explainer. Before students begin working (on the questions from the activity sheet, explain the following: ‘© Analtitude of a triangle extends from a vertex to the opposite side and forms a right angle with the opposite side.‘© Drawing an altitude of triangle ABC creates two right triangles. ‘© Since two right triangles are created, right triangle trigonometry can be used to describe the relationships between the angles and sides of each triangle. ‘© Because triangle ABC shares angles and sides with the two right triangles, the relationships between the angles and sides of the right triangles can be used to describe the relationships between the angles and sides of triangle ABC. Ask the students to work on Questions 1 and 2 on the activity sheet. If you choose to project the figure onto the board and draw on it, be sure that the students understand that your role is the cexplainer. Thus, they should be telling you how to sketch the altitude. This will help to reinforce the relationships between the right triangles and triangle ABC. Instruct students to work on Question 3 and to check their answers with a partner. After students have had time to work, ask students to provide the equations that they wrote. Write the equations on the board. Explain to students that each equation contains the altitude k. Ask students why each equation contains the altitude k [k is the side opposite both angles, A and C, in each right triangle]. Instruct students to work on Question 4 and to check their answers with a partner. After students have had time to work, ask students to provide the equations that they wrote. Write the equations on the overhead. ‘Explain to students that since both equations in Question 4 are equal to k, they can be set equal to each other. Ask students why is this true. [This is true because of the transitive property—since ‘two expressions are equal to the same expression, they are equal to each other.) Instruct students to work on Question 5 and to check their answers with a partner. After students have had time to work, ask students to provide the equation that they wrote. ‘Explain to students that the equation in Question 5 no longer involves k. Ask students why this is true. [This is the result of the transitive property.] Instruct students to work on Question 6 and to check their answers with a partner. After students have had time to work, ask them to provide the ‘equation that they wrote. Write the equation on the overhead. Explain to students that the equations in Questions 5 and 6 are equivalent. Ask students why they think the equation in Question 6 might be preferable to the equation in Question 5. [The angles and opposite sides are grouped together in the equation. ] For Questions 7-13 on the activity sheet, the teacher's role changes to facilitator. Students should work with a partner as they complete Questions 7-13. The teacher should circulate around the room to facilitate discussion between students and to answer questions. After students finish working, the teacher's role changes to connector. It is important that students connect the different parts of the law of sines into one cohesive whole. To assist students in connecting the various parts of the law of sines, ask the following questions: ‘© Why can we conclude that sin B/b = sin Cle? 10‘© [Again, the transitive property allows us to conclude that they are equal to one another because they are both equal to sin A/a.] © The law of sines can also be written as sin A/a = sin B/b = sin Clc. How does this extended equation illustrate the three equations that were developed during the lesson? ‘© [Each of the three pairwise equalities represented by this extended equation illustrates one of the equations developed on the activity sheet.] ‘Once students have developed the law of sines, itis important that they realize the potential of this law as well as its limitations. At this point in the lesson, the teacher's role becomes questioner. Remind the students that for the triangle at the beginning of class, two angles and a non-included side were given. Therefore, if two angles and a non-included side of a triangle are given, the law of sines can be used to determine the missing angle and sides, and since AAS is a valid method for proving triangles congruent, the triangle will be unique. Pose the following questions to students: ‘© Besides AAS, for what other combinations of angles and sides could the law of sines be used to determine the missing angles and sides of a triangle? ‘© [ASA (two angles and their included side) and SSA (two sides and a non-included angle). ‘© Of the combinations of angles and sides, ASA and SSA, which guarantee a unique triangle? Why?congruent. However, SSA does not guarantee a unique triangle because SSA provides insufficient information to prove triangles congruent.] To close the lesson, describe the importance of the law of sines, in that it can be used to solve problems involving non-right triangles. However, emphasize that the law of sines cannot solve all problems involving non-right triangles. If two angles and a side or two sides and a non-included angle of a triangle are known, the law of sines can be used to determine the missing angles and sides of the triangle. However, when two sides and a non-included angle of a triangle are known, the missing angles and sides may not be unique. ‘When the law of sines cannot be used to solve for the remaining angles or sides of a triangle, students will need to be able to use law of cosines. As such, students will use right triangle trigonometry and the Pythagorean theorem to develop the law of cosines. Students have now derived and used the law of sines to solve problems involving certain non-fight triangles. During this portion of instruction, students will discover how the law of ‘cosines can be used to solve problems involving non-right triangles for which the law of sines ‘cannot be used. ”Pose these questions to students: ‘© Are there unique triangles with the side and angle measures given above? Why? ‘© [Yes. SSS and SAS are two methods that prove triangles congruent. Therefore, if three sides of a triangle are known, or if two sides and an included angle are known, the triangle is unique.] ‘Why can't the law of sines be used to determine the measures of the missing angles and/or sides? '® [Touse the law of sines, you need to know the measure of at least one angle in the triangle. In addition, you need to know the measure of an angle and an opposite side to use the law of sines. Since that information is not given, the law of sines cannot be used.] Instruct students to think about the questions individually. Then, allow them to discuss their ideas with a partner. Then discuss the questions with the whole group. ‘After discussing the questions, students will be instructed to consider the law of cosines activity sheet. After students read the introduction, make the connection between the problems posed at the beginning of class and the purpose of the activity. Explain to students that during this activity, they will develop the law of cosines, which addresses the cases of triangles for which the law of sines cannot be used. The Law of Cosines Activity Sheet provides students with specific instructions that guide them. through the activity. The teacher will take on different roles as students engage in the activity. Before students begin the questions on the activity sheet, the teacher's role is explainer. To begin, examine triangle ABC with altitude & on the overhead projector (as shown below). Then, describe the diagram to students. Point out how the altitude is perpendicular to side e. ‘Ask students why the parts of side ¢ can be represented as x and c—x. [Since the two parts add to equal c, if we use a variable to represent one of the parts, we know ‘that the other part can be represented as c minus the first part.] For Questions 1-8 on the activity sheet, the teacher's role changes to facilitator. Students should 12work with a partner as they complete these questions. The teacher should circulate around the room to facilitate discussion between students and to answer questions. To facilitate partner discussion, the teacher should ask the following questions while circulating around the room: © fe =2? - (¢- x) and =a - x, what conclusions can be drawn about b? - (c - x)? and @ - x7? (The transitive property allows us to conclude that they must be equal. ‘© Why use cos B to eliminate x from the equation 6? = a? + c* - 2ev? [Students may be tempted to say that they used cos B because they are developing the law of cosines. However, push students to think more deeply. Cos B is the logical choice because it involves.x, which we want to eliminate, and a, which is a side of triangle ABC.] After students have completed Questions 1-8, instruct them to post the equations they wrote. In this way, the teacher can check the work and make certain that all students have the correct equations. ‘After reviewing Questions 1-8, the teacher's role returns to explainer. Point out to students the different parts of the law of cosines. Explain how the law of cosines written in Question & is only ‘one form of the law of cosines, as different angles and sides can be found by substituting different variables into the equation. After explaining, instruct students to work on Question 9 and to check their answers with a partner. Once students have finished, ask them to state the equations they wrote. After students complete the Law of Cosines Activity Sheet, have them use the law of cosines to determine the measures of the missing sides and angles in the triangles discussed at the beginning of the lesson. While students are using the law of cosines, the teacher's role again becomes facilitator. The teacher should circulate around the room while students determine the missing measures. (Students may have difficulty solving for the angles at first. The teacher may wish to discuss the algebraic techniques involved before students begin working.) After students have had time to determine the measures and check answers with their partner, the teacher can choose students to post solutions on the board. To conclude the lesson, ask students to describe the relationship between the given sides and/or angles of a triangle that would require the use of the law or sines or the law of cosines to determine the measures of the missing sides and/or angles in the triangle. [Law of Sines: Two angles and a side (AAS or ASA); two sides and a non-included angle (SSA). Law of Cosines: Three sides (SSS); two sides and an included angle (SAS).] Finally, show students Right Angle Trig - Law of Sines - Law of Cosines graphic organizer (see D4 notes) 13