Measurement and geometry

4
Trigonometry
In the second century BCE, the Greek astronomer
Hipparchus could calculate distances to the moon and the
Sun and he was the first scientist to chart the positions of
over 850 stars. How was he able to achieve this over 2100
years ago? Hipparchus started a new branch of mathematics
called trigonometry, meaning ‘triangle measure’, which uses
angles, triangles and circles to calculate lengths and
distances that cannot be physically measured. Trigonometry
is used widely today in engineering, surveying, navigation,
astronomy, electronics and construction.

n Chapter outline
4-01 The sides of a right-angled
triangle
4-02 The trigonometric ratios
4-03 Similar right-angled
triangles
4-04 Trigonometry on a
calculator
4-05 Finding an unknown side
4-06 Finding more unknown
sides
4-07 Finding an unknown angle
4-08 Angles of elevation and
depression
4-09 Bearings
4-10 Problems involving
bearings
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Shutterstock.com/travellight
n Wordbank
Proficiency strands adjacent side In a right-angled triangle, the side that is
next to a given angle and pointing to the right angle
U C angle of depression The angle of looking down, measured
U C from the horizontal
U R C angle of elevation The angle of looking up, measured from
the horizontal
U F bearing The angle used to show the direction of one
U F PS location from a given point
minute (0 ) A unit for measuring angle size, 1 of a degree
U F PS 60
U F PS opposite side In a right-angled triangle, the side that is
facing a given angle and not one of its arms
U F PS R C theta (y) A letter of the Greek alphabet used as a
U F R C pronumeral for angles
trigonometric ratio The ratio of two sides in a right angled
F PS R C
triangle, for example, sine is the ratio of the opposite side
to the hypotenuse
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

n In this chapter you will:

• use similarity to investigate the constancy of the sine, cosine and tangent ratios for a given angle
in right-angled triangles
• apply trigonometry to solve right-angled triangle problems
• find unknown sides and angles in right-angled triangles where the angle is measured in degrees
and minutes
• apply trigonometry to problems involving bearings and angles of elevation and depression

SkillCheck
Worksheet

StartUp assignment 4
1 Solve each equation.
MAT09MGWK10038 a x¼7 b h ¼ 8:3 c 45
y ¼9
5 4
2 For each triangle, find the value of n.
63
c
a b
65 n 5.2 n
n
13

84 6.5
3 Round each time to the nearest hour.
a 8 h 18 min b 3 h 45 min c 1 h 30 min
4 Convert each time to hours and minutes.
a 4.7 h b 2.25 h c 6.85 h
5 Find the value of each pronumeral.
a b c
y° n°
35°
52°
67°
x°

d e f

130° x° 200°
x°
x°

300°

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4-01 The sides of a right-angled triangle

The three sides of a right-angled triangle have special names. These names depend on the
positions of the sides relative to a given angle.
• The hypotenuse is the longest side and is always opposite
We have already learnt about
the right angle. the hypotenuse in Pythagoras’
• The opposite side directly faces the given angle. theorem.
• The adjacent side runs from the given angle to the
Adjacent means ‘next to’.
right angle.
In the diagram below, the marked \O has also been P
labelled with the Greek letter, y, (‘theta’).
e
us

opposite
n
The hypotenuse is OP. te
po
The opposite side is XP.

hy
The adjacent side is OX. θ
O X
adjacent

If the marked angle is \P, also labelled with the P

Greek letter a (‘alpha’), then the opposite and α
adjacent sides are swapped, but the hypotenuse s e

adjacent
nu
stays the same. te
po
hy

The hypotenuse is OP.

The opposite side is OX. O X
opposite
The adjacent side is XP.

Example 1
For each triangle, name the hypotenuse, opposite and adjacent sides for angle y.
r
G
a b c
17 8 q
p
θ θ F
θ
E
15

Solution
a Hypotenuse is 17. b Hypotenuse is p c Hypotenuse is EF.
Opposite side is 8. Opposite side is r. Opposite side is EG.
Adjacent side is 15. Adjacent side is q. Adjacent side is FG.

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Trigonometry

Example 2
For angles a and b, name the adjacent side. 7 24

Solution α β
25
For a, the adjacent side is 7.
For b, the adjacent side is 24.

Exercise 4-01 The sides of a right-angled triangle

See Example 1 1 For the marked angle in each triangle, name the hypotenuse, opposite and adjacent sides.
a b C c u

13
5 w v
A B
12

d T e x f
40
41
y z
S R 9

2 For nLKM, name the angle: M

a opposite the hypotenuse b opposite side KM
c opposite side LK d adjacent to side KM
e adjacent to side LK.

K
L
3 Which one of these statements is false about nTSU ? T
A The adjacent side to \S is US.
B The adjacent side to \T is TU.
C The hypotenuse is UT.
D The opposite side to \T is US.
U

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4 For each triangle, find the opposite sides for angles y (‘theta’) and f (‘phi’). See Example 2

a D b c
12 d
φ φ
θ θ
9 e f
15
φ
E F θ

5 For each triangle, find the adjacent sides for angles y (‘theta’) and f (‘phi’).
a H b c
φ 36
φ
c
I φ
b
27 45
θ θ a θ
J
6 Which side of a right-angled triangle is fixed and does not depend on a given angle? Select the
correct answer A, B, C or D.
A adjacent B hypotenuse C opposite D shortest
7 Given each description of a right-angled triangle, sketch the triangle with the correctly-labelled
vertices and angle.
a nABC has hypotenuse AB and side AC opposite angle y
b nXYZ has hypotenuse YZ and side XZ adjacent to angle a
c nPRQ has side RQ opposite \ P and adjacent to \ R
d nDEF is right-angled at E, with the opposite and adjacent sides of \ D equal

Just for the record The Greek alpha-bet

Here are eight letters (in lower-case and capitals) from the Greek alphabet:
a, A alpha b, B beta g, C gamma d, D delta
u, H theta p, P pi r, R sigma x, X omega
The ancient Greeks greatly influenced the development of mathematics. It is traditional to use
Greek letters as variables, particularly in geometry and trigonometry.
1 Find how many letters there are in the Greek alphabet, and name each one.
2 Compare the Greek alphabet with our Roman alphabet.
3 Can you see where the word alphabet comes from? Explain how it originated.

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Trigonometry

Puzzle sheet

Trigonometry match-up 4-02 The trigonometric ratios

MAT09MGPS10040
There are three special fractions called trigonometric ratios that relate the lengths of two sides of a
Technology
right-angled triangle: sine, cosine and tangent.
GeoGebra:
Trigonometry ratios

MAT09MGTC00006
Summary
Technology worksheet The trigonometric ratios
Excel worksheet:
Trigonometry values Ratio Abbreviation Meaning
MAT09MGCT00026 opposite
sine sin sin u ¼
hypotenuse
Technology worksheet
adjacent
Excel spreadsheet: cosine cos cos u ¼
hypotenuse
Trigonometry values
opposite
MAT09MGCT00011 tangent tan tan u ¼
adjacent

Example 3
In nAXP, find sin y, cos y and tan y. A
θ
13
Solution 5

For angle y, opposite ¼ 12, adjacent ¼ 5, hypotenuse ¼ 13. X P

12
opposite adjacent
sin u ¼ ¼ 12 cos u ¼ ¼ 5
hypotenuse 13 hypotenuse 13
opposite 12
tan u ¼ ¼
adjacent 5

Mnemonics for sin, cos and tan

A useful mnemonic (memory aid) for remembering the three ratios is to look at the initials of the
words in the ratios:
opposite adjacent
sin ¼ ¼ O S.O.H. cos ¼ ¼ A C.A.H.
hypotenuse H hypotenuse H
opposite O
tan ¼ ¼ T.O.A.
adjacent A
If you remember SOH-CAH-TOA (pronounced ‘so-car-toe-ah’), then you can remember the
ratios for sin, cos and tan. Some students also learn a phrase where the first letter of each word
follows the SOH-CAH-TOA sequence, for example, ‘Sun Over Head Caused A Huge Tan On
Arms’. Find your own mnemonic for the three ratios.

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Example 4
Video tutorial
For the triangle below, find: C The trigonometric
ratios
a sin A b cos B
c tan A d sin B 21 20 MAT09MGVT10007

A B
Solution 29

For angle A, opposite ¼ 20, adjacent ¼ 21, hypotenuse ¼ 29

For angle B, opposite ¼ 21, adjacent ¼ 20, hypotenuse ¼ 29
opposite adjacent
a sin A ¼ ¼ 20 b cos B ¼ ¼ 20
hypotenuse 29 hypotenuse 29
opposite 20 opposite
c tan A ¼ ¼ d sin B ¼ ¼ 21
adjacent 21 hypotenuse 29

Given one ratio, finding another ratio

Example 5
If tan R ¼ 8 , find the value of sin R and cos R.
15

Solution
opposite
tan R ¼ ¼ 8 , so draw a right- x use
adjacent 15 n
ote
angled triangle that has an angle R with hyp 8
opposite
opposite side 8 and adjacent side 15. Let
x be the length of the hypotenuse. R
15
Find x using Pythagoras’ theorem. adjacent

x 2 ¼ 8 2 þ 15 2
¼ 289
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
x ¼ 289
¼ 17
opposite 8
) sin R ¼ ¼
hypotenuse 17
adjacent
cos R ¼ ¼ 15
hypotenuse 17

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Trigonometry

Exercise 4-02 The trigonometric ratios

See Example 3 1 For each marked angle, find the sine, cosine and tangent ratios.
a b c
θ e
R
73 T
48
g
f
S
55 θ
Y
d e 7.7 f
m
M
α n
3.6
8.5
k W

See Example 4 2 For the triangle below, find:

a cos X b tan Y Y
c sin X d sin Y 5
3

X
4
3 Complete each statement below with the correct angle (a or b). H

a sin  ¼ IJ b sin  ¼ HI c cos  ¼ IJ α

HJ HJ HJ
d cos  ¼ HI e tan  ¼ IJ f tan  ¼ IH
HJ IH IJ β
J I
4 For each triangle below, find:
i tan y ii cos y iii cos f iv tan f
f is the Greek letter ‘phi’
a 7 b c F
θ
u v
φ G
25 24 φ θ
φ w θ
H

f R
d e
θ a θ
84
φ
85 θ 13 c
φ φ
Q
b
S

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5 For each fraction, write a correct trigonometric Y
ratio involving angle X or Y in the triangle. 61 11

a 60 b 11 Z
11 60 60
X
c 11 d 60
61 61

p
6 Which ratio is equal to m? Select the correct m
answer A, B, C or D. θ
A cos y B cos f
p
C tan y D tan f n
φ

7 Which statement is true for this triangle? Select the V

correct answer A, B, C or D. U

A sin U ¼ cos W B tan U ¼ sin W

C cos U ¼ tan W D tan U ¼ tan W

8 Sketch a right-angled triangle for each trigonometric ratio, then use Pythagoras’ theorem to See Example 5
find the length of the unknown side and the other two trigonometric ratios for the same angle.
5 3 9 7
a tan A ¼ b sin B ¼ c cos X ¼ d sin Y ¼
12 5 41 25

Worksheet
4-03 Similar right-angled triangles Investigating the
tangent ratio

In each right-angled triangle below, \A ¼ 32. MAT09MGWK10039

C C Technology
C GeoGebra:
Trigonometric ratios
2
32° MAT09MGTC00006
A B
1

C 32°
B A

4
3
32°
A
B
32°
A B

Furthermore, because \ B ¼ 90, \C ¼ 180 – 90 – 32 ¼ 58 because of the angle sum of a triangle.
These four triangles are called similar triangles because their corresponding angles are equal. They have
the same shape but are not the same size. In fact, they are enlargements or reductions of one another.

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Trigonometry

Example 6
For each triangle on page 125, the length of each side has been measured to the nearest mm,
and sin A, cos A and tan A has been calculated to two decimal places, as shown in the table
below.

Side length (mm) Trigonometric ratio

BC AB AC sin A ¼ BC cos A ¼ AB tan A ¼ BC
(opp) (adj) (hyp) AC AC AB
1 29 47 55 29 4 55  0.53 47 4 55  0.85 29 4 47  0.62
2 12 19 22 0.55 0.86 0.63
3 17 28 33 0.52 0.85 0.61
4 57 92 108 0.53 0.85 0.62

Note: See Technology: Similar right-angled triangles on page 128 for a GeoGebra activity
based on this example.

Exercise 4-03 Similar right-angled triangles

See Example 6 1 a For each similar right-angled triangle below, measure the length of each side (correct to the
nearest mm) and then calculate sin Y, cos Y and tan Y as decimals (correct to two decimal
places). Copy and complete the table on the opposite page.

X
X X

3
1
60°
Y Z
2
60°
Z Y

60°
Y Z

X Z

60°

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Side length (mm) Trigonometric ratio
XZ ZY XY sin Y ¼ XZ cos Y ¼ ZY tan Y ¼ XZ
(opp) (adj) (hyp) XY XY ZY
1
2
3
4

b What do you notice about the value of sin Y for all four similar right-angled triangles?
c Use your calculator to evaluate sin 60 by pressing sin 60 = . What do you notice
about your answer?
d What do you notice about the value of cos Y for all four similar triangles?
e Use your calculator to evaluate cos 60. What do you notice about your answer?
f What do you notice about the value of tan Y for all four similar triangles?
g Use your calculator to evaluate tan 60. What do you notice about your answer?
2 a Draw four similar right-angled triangles that have an angle of 48, measure the length of
each side (correct to the nearest mm) and then calculate sin 48, cos 48 and tan 48 as
decimals (correct to two decimal places). Copy and complete the table below.

Side length (mm) Trigonometric ratio

opp adj opp
Opp Adj Hyp sin 48 ¼ cos 48 ¼ tan 48 ¼
hyp hyp adj
1
2
3
4

b Examine the value of sin 48 for all four similar triangles, then evaluate sin 48 on a
calculator. What do you notice?
c Examine the values of cos 48, then evaluate cos 48 on a calculator.
d Examine the values of tan 48, then evaluate tan 48 on a calculator.
3 For each trigonometric ratio, draw a large right-angled triangle with the given angle, then by
measurement and calculation, find the value of the ratio correct to three decimal places.
Compare your answer to the calculator’s answer.
a tan 55 b cos 39 c sin 67 d cos 21

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Technology Similar right-angled triangles

In this activity you will use GeoGebra to measure and calculate trigonometric ratios.
1 a Before you start, set angles to measure in degrees, then click Options, Rounding and
1 Decimal Place.

Note: If the angle measure is set to radians, under Options, Advanced select Degree.

b In the Graphics window, right-click and make sure Axes and Grid are enabled.

Alternatively, close the Algebra window

and click on the icons near the top left-hand side.

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Use Interval between two points and construct a right-angled triangle.

Use Angle to measure the right angle and another angle (as shown below).

c Now keeping the triangle right-angled, use the Move Tool to adjust any vertices
so that one angle is 32.
2 Draw two more similar right-angled triangles with a 32 angle.
3 Label the vertices of each triangle. Right-click on each vertex and click Show Label as
shown below. If necessary, relabel the vertices as A, B and C by right-clicking on each
vertex and selecting Rename. Make sure \A ¼ 32 and \B ¼ 90.

4 a Copy this table.

Side length (mm) Trigonometric ratio

BC AB AC sin A ¼ BC cos A ¼ AB tan A ¼ BC
(opp) (adj) (hyp) AC AC AB
1
2
3
4

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Trigonometry

b Click Options, Rounding and 5 Decimal Places.

c To measure the sides of each triangle, select and click on a side of

the triangle. You will see the measurements appear in centimetres. Convert to
millimetres for your table.
d For each triangle, calculate each trigonometric ratio correct to 2 decimal places.
e What do you notice about the values of each ratio for all of the triangles?

Homework sheet

Trigonometry 1 4-04 Trigonometry on a calculator

MAT09MGHS10032
In the previous section, we discovered that for any particular angle, the sine, cosine and tangent
Worksheet
ratios stay constant (the same) for all right-angled triangles with that angle. For example,
Trigonometry
sin 32  0.53 always, no matter what size the similar right-angled triangle.
calculations

MAT09MGWK10041
Summary
Puzzle sheet

Trigonometry For any given angle, the values of the sine, cosine and tangent ratios are constant.
squaresaw

MAT09MGPS10042
This means that the value of a trigonometric ratio can be easily found on a calculator rather than
through constructing and measuring triangles.

Degrees, minutes and seconds

Angles are measured in degrees, but one degree can be subdivided into 60 minutes.
One minute can be further subdivided into 60 seconds. The abbreviations for minutes and
seconds are shown below.

Summary
1 ¼ 600 (1 degree ¼ 60 minutes)
10 ¼ 6000 (1 minute ¼ 60 seconds)

For example, an angle size of 48 350 5600 is 48 degrees, 35 minutes and 56 seconds, about halfway
between 48 and 49.
When rounding an angle to the nearest degree or minute, use 30 as the halfway mark.

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Example 7
Round each angle correct to the nearest degree.
a 73 270 b 9 410

Solution
a 73270  73 270 < 300 , so round down.
b 9410  10 410  300 , so round up.

Example 8
Round each angle correct to the nearest minute.
a 33530 3000 b 44150 4000

Solution
a 33530 3000  33540 3000  3000 , so round up.
b 44150 4000  441600 4000  3000 , so round up.

Degrees and minutes on a calculator

To enter degrees and minutes (and seconds) into a scientific calculator, use the or DMS
(Degrees-Minutes-Seconds) key.

Example 9
Evaluate each expression correct to two decimal places.
a sin 46 b tan 57.4 c 4 cos 20
d 68.3 sin 38250 e 23
cos 18500

Solution
Make sure that your calculator is in the degrees mode (D or DEG) or your answer will
be incorrect.
a sin 46 ¼ 0:71933 . . . On calculator: sin 46 =
 0:72
b tan 57:4 ¼ 1:56365 . . . On calculator: tan 57.4 =
 1:56
This angle is 57.4 (a decimal), not 5740 .

c 4 cos 20 ¼ 3:75877 . . . On calculator: 4 cos 20 =

 3:76
This means 4 3 cos 20.

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Trigonometry

d 68:3 sin 38 250 ¼ 42:43996 . . . On calculator: 68.3 sin 38 25 =

 42:44

e 23
¼ 24:30103 . . . On calculator: 23 4 cos 18 50 =
cos 18500
 24:30

Example 10
Convert each angle size to degrees and minutes, correct to the nearest minute.
a 82.5 b 60.81

Solution
a 82.5 ¼ 82300 On calculator: 82.5 =
  0 00
b 60:81 ¼ 60 48 36 On calculator: 60.81 =
 60 490

Exercise 4-04 Trigonometry on a calculator

See Example 7 1 Round each angle size correct to the nearest degree.
a 27540 b 40300 c 19180 d 3370 2500
0 00
e 3341 5 f 56.4 g 29.75 h 44 180
See Example 8 2 Round each angle size correct to the nearest minute.
a 68390 4200 b 54220 2100 c 68390 3000 d 18300 2700
0 00 0 00
e 910 55 f 4759 9.5 g 3450 3500 h 57100 2900
See Example 9 3 Evaluate each expression correct to two decimal places.
a tan 84 b cos 15 c tan 47 d sin 33
e sin 77 f cos 60.1 g tan 39.55 h cos 18

i 8 tan 75 j 14 sin 56 k 12 4 tan 20 l 7

sin 43
m 50 3 sin 70.34 n 66.2 cos 81420 o 18.53 sin 11.8 p 27
cos 35
q 44:5 r 200 s 24.1 4 tan 63 t 15:7
tan 65580 sin 54:2 cos 2180

See Example 10 4 Convert each angle size to degrees and minutes, correct to the nearest minute.
a 55.5 b 14.15 c 72.38 d 33.77
e 66.41 f 7.875 g 28.123 h 31.046
i 34.45 j 71.087 k 5.4829 l 69.4545
5 By guess-and-checking with your calculator, find the angle size, y (to the nearest degree),
that gives each value.
a sin y ¼ 0.7880 b tan y ¼ 0.2493 c tan y ¼ 1.2799 d cos y ¼ 0.5
e sin y ¼ 0.5446 f cos y ¼ 0.8829 g tan y ¼ 0.7265 h sin y ¼ 0.9998

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Mental skills 4 Maths without calculators

Estimating answers
A quick way of estimating an answer is to round each number in the calculation.
1 Study each example.
a 631 þ 280 þ 51 þ 43 þ 96  600 þ 300 þ 50 þ 40 þ 100
¼ ð600 þ 300 þ 100Þ þ ð50 þ 40Þ
¼ 1000 þ 90
¼ 1090 ðActual answer ¼ 1101Þ
b 55 þ 132  34 þ 17  78  60 þ 130  30 þ 20  80
¼ ð60 þ 20  80Þ þ ð130  30Þ
¼ 0 þ 100
¼ 100 ðActual answer ¼ 92Þ
c 78 3 7  80 3 7
¼ 560 ðActual answer ¼ 546Þ
d 510 4 24  500 4 20
¼ 50 4 2
¼ 25 ðActual answer ¼ 21:25Þ
2 Now estimate each answer.
a 27 þ 11 þ 87 þ 142 þ 64 b 55 þ 34 – 22 – 46 þ 136
c 684 þ 903 d 35 þ 81 þ 110 þ 22 þ 7
e 517 – 96 f 210 – 38 – 71 þ 151 – 49
g 766 – 353 h 367 3 2
i 83 3 81 j 984 3 16
k 828 4 3 l 507 4 7
3 Study each example involving decimals.
a 20:91  11:3 þ 2:5  21  11 þ 3
¼ 13 ðExact answer ¼ 12:11Þ
b 4:78 3 19:2  5 3 20
¼ 100 ðExact answer ¼ 91:776Þ
c 75:13 4 8:4  75 4 8
< 80 4 8
< 10
 9 ðExact answer ¼ 8:944 . . .Þ
d 37:6 þ 9:3 38 þ 9

41:2  12:7 40  13
47
¼
27
50

30
 1:6 ðExact answer ¼ 1:645 . . .Þ
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Trigonometry

4 Now estimate each answer.

a 3.75 þ 9.381 þ 4.6 þ 10.5 b 14.807 þ 6.6 – 7.22
c 18.47 3 9.61 d 4.27 3 97.6
e 11:07 þ 18:4 f 38:18
12:2 17:2  9:6
g 54.75  18.6  14.4 h 18:46 3 4:9
39:72  15:2
i 62.13 4 10.7 j (4.89) 2

Just for the record Degrees, minutes and seconds

We are familiar with using base 10 systems in number, measurement and currency: there are
100 centimetres in a metre, 1000 grams in a kilogram and 100 cents in a dollar. So why are
there 360 in a revolution, 60 minutes in a degree and 60 seconds in a minute?
In 2000 BCE, the Babylonians used a base 60 or sexagesimal system of numeration, because
60 is a rounder, more convenient number than 10. This is because 60 has more factors and is
divisible by 3, 4 and 6. Furthermore, 6 3 60 ¼ 360, which was the Babylonian approximation
for the number of days in a year, so that each day the Earth would travel 1 around the Sun.
As measuring devices and calculations required greater precision, each degree was subdivided
into 60 equal parts called minutes, and these were further divided into 60 parts called
seconds. This level of accuracy is essential in navigation and mapping.
1 A minute is a ‘small’ part of a degree. Investigate how an alternative meaning (and
pronunciation) of ‘minute’ is ‘tiny’.
2 A second is the ‘second’ subdivision of a degree. Explain how there are two different
meanings of ‘second’.

4-05 Finding an unknown side

Since the trigonometric ratio of any angle is a constant number, we can use it to calculate the
length of an unknown side in a right-angled triangle if one other side is known. We need to select
the correct ratio that links the given angle to the unknown side and known side.

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Example 11
Video tutorial
Find the value of each pronumeral, correct to two decimal places. Finding an unknown
a b side

MAT09MGVT10008
33°
Video tutorial
15.2 m p
Trigonometry

20 m MAT09MGVT00009

58°
d

Solution
a SOH, CAH or TOA?
15.2 m
The marked sides are the adjacent (A) side
and the hypotenuse (H), so use cos.
adjacent hypotenuse
cos 58 ¼
hypotenuse
d 58°
¼
15:2 d adjacent
d
cos 58 3 15:2 ¼ 3 15:2 Multiply both sides by 15.2.
15:2
15:2 cos 58 ¼ d
d ¼ 15:2 cos 58
¼ 8:05477 . . .
 8:05
From the diagram, a length of 8.05 m looks reasonable.
b SOH, CAH or TOA?
The marked sides are the opposite (O) side
and the hypotenuse (H), so use sin.
opposite
sin 33 ¼
hypotenuse
p p 33°
¼
20
p opposite
sin 33 3 20 ¼ 3 20 20 m
20
hypotenuse
20 sin 33 ¼ p
p ¼ 20 sin 33
¼ 10:8927 . . .
 10:89
From the diagram, a length of 10.89 m looks reasonable.

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Trigonometry

Summary

Finding an unknown side in a right-angled triangle

1 identify the two labelled sides and decide whether to use sin, cos or tan
2 write an equation using the ratio, the given angle and the variable
3 solve the equation to find the value of the variable

Example 12
Find the value of q correct to the nearest centimetre. 47 cm
23°18'
Solution q
q is opposite, 47 cm is adjacent, so use tan.
opposite
tan 23 180 ¼
adjacent
q
¼
47
q ¼ 47 tan 23 180
¼ 20:2413 . . .
 20 cm
From the diagram, a length of 20 cm looks reasonable.

Example 13
n JKL is right-angled at K, JK ¼ 35 m and \ J ¼ 63. Find the length of LK correct to the
nearest metre.

Solution
Draw a diagram. L
Let the length of LK be x.
x is opposite, 35 m is adjacent, so use tan.
tan 63 ¼ x x
35
x ¼ 35 tan 63
¼ 68:6913 . . . 63°
K J
35 m
LK  69 m
From the diagram, a length of 69 m looks reasonable.

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Exercise 4-05 Finding an unknown side
1 For each triangle, which trigonometric ratio (sin y, cos y or tan y) is equal to a ?
b
a b c a
b
θ
a θ a b
θ
b

d e f b
θ
b θ
a a a
θ
b
2 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle, correct to two decimal places. See Example 11

a b c
28°
xm 75° 25.3 cm
47 m a mm
18.71 mm
36° y cm

d e f 150 mm See Example 12

7°
35.2 m 45.87 cm 20.
km 57°33'

62.3° b cm c mm

3 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle, correct to one decimal place.
a em b c 20.7 mm
26°
8.5 cm 34°
74 m
77°
f cm g mm

d e v cm f
ym 50°3'
w mm
60.2° 48.75 cm
95.38 m 17
263 mm .4°

9780170193085 137
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

See Example 11 4 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle, correct to two decimal places.
a zm b 52 cm c 6°
48° r cm
30 m
85.3 mm
t mm
29°

7.3 m
d e f 40.1°
p cm 33.75 cm
45°18' nm
73°37' 315 mm
q mm

5 Find the value of the pronumeral in each triangle, correct to one decimal place.

a nm
b c
2001 mm
18°
33° p cm
q mm
200 m
42.5°
143 cm

d e f
rm 0.9 m 38.25 cm tm
67° 8.7 m
36' 50°11'
s cm 23
.8°

6 What is the height of this tree? Select the

correct answer A, B, C or D.
A 2.68 m B 3.27 m
C 3.83 m D 6.68 m
35°
4675 mm

7 Find each length or distance correct to one decimal place.

r
a How far up the ladder reaches up the wall. de
lad
cm
5
35
40°

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 N E W C E N T U R Y M AT H S A D V A N C E D
for the A ustralian Curriculum 9
b The distance between the boat
and the start.
river
200 m

45°
boat start

c The distance from the observer to the 77° 155 m

base of the building.
observer

d The height of the boat’s mast.

1440 cm

47°

e The distance between: 2

i checkpoints 1 and 2 1
ii checkpoint 1 and the start.

20 km

30°

start/finish
8 nABC is right-angled at B, AC ¼ 14.8 m and \C ¼ 56. Find the length of side AB, correct See Example 13
to one decimal place.
9 n MNR is right-angled at M, MN ¼ 19 cm and \N ¼ 27. Find the length of MR, correct
to the nearest centimetre.
10 In n XYW, \X ¼ 90, \Y ¼ 43.7 and WY ¼ 8.34 m. Find the length of XW, correct to two
decimal places.
11 n AHK is right-angled at K, \H ¼ 76 and AH ¼ 13.9 m. Find the length of HK, correct to
one decimal place.
12 A tree casts a shadow 20 m long. If the Sun’s rays meet the ground at 25, find the height of
the tree, correct to the nearest cm.
13 A 6 m ladder is placed against a pole. If the ladder makes an angle of 17 with the pole, how Worked solutions
far up the pole does the ladder reach? Answer to the nearest mm. Finding an unknown
side
14 A boat is anchored by a rope 5.5 m long. If the anchor rope makes an angle of 23 with the
vertical, calculate the depth of the water (correct to one decimal place). MAT09MGWS10018

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 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

15 A rectangular gate has a diagonal brace that makes an angle of 60 with the bottom of the
gate. If the length of the diagonal brace is 1860 mm, calculate the height of the gate.
Select the correct answer A, B, C or D.
A 2148 mm B 930 mm C 1610 mm D 3221 mm
16 Jacob is flying a kite that is attached to a string 155 m long. The string makes an angle of 35
to the horizontal. Calculate, correct to the nearest metre, the height of the kite above Jacob.

35°

Shutterstock.com/pirita
Investigation: Calculating the height of an object
You will need: tape measure or trundle wheel, a clinometer (or protractor) to measure the angle.
Trigonometry can be used to find the heights of buildings, flagpoles and trees without actually
measuring them. This can be done by measuring the distance along the ground from the base of
the object to a person. The person then measures the angle to the top of the object. For example,
the height of a flagpole can be calculated using the set-up shown in the diagram below.

H where H = x + h
A

h
L

h is the eye height of the person who measures the angle, A, to the top of the flagpole. L is
the distance the person is from the base of the flagpole, x is the height of the flagpole
above the person’s eye height, H ¼ x þ h is the height of the flagpole above the ground.
1 Select a tall object outside to measure.
2 Work with a partner to measure (in cm) the distance, L, along the ground, the height, h,
of the person, and the angle (in degrees) to the top of the object. Copy the table below
and record your information in the first row.

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Distance, Angle, Height of Calculated Height of
L (cm) A person, h (cm) height, x cm flagpole, H cm

3 Use the tan ratio to calculate the value of x to the nearest whole number.
4 Hence find H, the height of the kite to the nearest centimetre. Write your answers in the
table.
5 Repeat the measurements and calculations three more times from different positions, with
different persons measuring the angle. This will help to improve the accuracy of your
results and minimise errors. Write your results in the table.
6 Did you find similar values for H ? Do they seem reasonable for the height of the object?
7 Calculate the average value for H.

Worksheet
4-06 Finding more unknown sides Finding an unknown
side

In the following examples, the unknown appears in the denominator of the equation. MAT09MGWK10043

Puzzle sheet
Example 14 Trigonometry
equations 1
Find the value of w, correct to two decimal places. MAT09MGPS00041

Solution
wm 80 m
80 m is the opposite side, w m is the
hypotenuse, so use sin.
sin 55 ¼ 80
w 55°
Note that the variable w
appears in the denominator
of the equation.
80
sin 55 3 w ¼ 3w Multiply both sides by w.
w
w sin 55 ¼ 80
w sin 55 80
¼
sin 55 sin 55 Divide both sides by sin 55.
80
w¼
sin 55
¼ 97:66196 . . .
 97:66
Note that when the unknown appears in the denominator of an equation, it can swap
positions with the trigonometric ratio, so that sin 55 ¼ 80 80
w becomes w ¼ sin 55.

9780170193085 141
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

Example 15
Find the length of x, correct to two decimal places.

34°
Solution
x
18 cm is the opposite side, x is the adjacent side,
so use tan.
18
tan 34 ¼ x appears in the denominator
x 18 cm
18
x¼ Swap the position of x with tan 34.
tan 34
¼ 26:6860 . . .
 26:69 cm
Alternative method
To avoid having x in the denominator, we could use tan with the third angle of the
triangle.
Third angle ¼ 180 – 90 – 34 ¼ 56
x
tan 56 ¼
18
x ¼ 18 tan 56
¼ 26:6860 . . .
 26:69 cm

Exercise 4-06 Finding more unknown sides

See Example 14 1 Find the value of each pronumeral, correct to one decimal place.
a b c
xm 35 m 18.4 cm 73° y cm
78.3 mm
20° z mm
35.7°

d e f
65.25 cm t mm
43°43'
58°5'
14.85 m
15°25'
s cm
rm 200 mm

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for the A ustralian Curriculum 9
2 n XYZ is right-angled at Z, ZY ¼ 230 mm and \Y ¼ 45. Find the length of XY, correct
to the nearest millimetre.
3 In nKLW, \L ¼ 90, KL ¼ 12 m and \W ¼ 75.2. Find KW, correct to the nearest metre.
4 Find the value of each pronumeral, correct to two decimal places.
a b c d 26.38
137
h
64°
15.7° e
k
n 57°
93.7

334 8°

5 nCDE is right-angled at D, \E ¼ 36 and CD ¼ 5 m. Find the length of side DE, correct to
two decimal places.
6 In nHMT, \T ¼ 90, \M ¼ 19470 and side HT ¼ 18.4 cm. Find the length of side HM,
correct to one decimal place.
7 Find the value of each pronumeral, correct to one decimal place.
a b c
93.1 mm

83 cm
65.2° nm
40 17.6°
p cm °4
0' q mm

25 m
d e f
75.8°
5.27 m 85.4 cm 16.34 mm
23°6' s cm
rm
38°11'
t mm

8 Find the length of this ladder. Select

the correct answer A, B, C or D.
A 159 cm B 171 cm
ladder wall
C 243 cm D 638 cm

75°

165 cm

9780170193085 143
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

9 Find each length or distance correct to one

decimal place.
a How far the person is from being
directly under the birds.
2450 cm

62°
187 cm
d
b The length of the ramp.

ramp
255 mm

38°
38°

c The length of the support wire.

2m

7m

48° 48°
d The length of:
i the shortest road
ii the longest road. 63°

7.5 km
e The slant height of the roof.

40° 40°
1600 cm

See Example 15 10 A ladder rests against a wall. The foot of the ladder is 355 cm from the wall and makes an
angle of 63 with the ground. How long (to the nearest cm) is the ladder?
Worked solutions 11 A supporting wire is attached to the top of a flagpole. The wire meets the ground at an angle
Finding more unknown
of 51 and the flagpole is 15 m high. How far from the base of the flagpole is the wire
sides anchored to the ground? (Give your answer to the nearest 0.1 m.)
MAT09MGWS10019

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 N E W C E N T U R Y M AT H S A D V A N C E D
for the A ustralian Curriculum 9
12 A glider is flying at an altitude (height)
of 1.5 km. To land, it descends at an
angle of 18 to the ground. How far
must the glider travel before landing?
(Give your answer to the nearest
0.1 km.)

Shutterstock.com/Pixachi
13 A shooter aims directly at a target, but just before firing, the rifle is lifted 1 off target. The Worked solutions
shot misses the target by 67 mm. How far is the shooter standing from the target? Select the Finding more unknown
correct answer A, B, C or D. sides
A 1169 mm B 3838 mm C 3839 mm D 6701 mm MAT09MGWS10019

14 A hot air balloon is anchored to the ground by a rope. When it drifts 20 m sideways, it makes
an angle of 75 with the ground. How long is the rope (correct to one decimal place)?

Investigation: Finding an angle, given a trigonometric ratio

You will need: a ruler, compasses and a calculator.
1 Copy and complete this table, calculating each ratio as a decimal correct to three decimal
places.
q sin q cos q tan q
0
15
30
45
60
75
90 undefined

2 Can you work out why there is no answer for tan 90?
3 What are the minimum and maximum values of sin y?
4 What are the minimum and maximum values of cos y?
5 Is there a pattern between the values of sin y and cos y?
6 Check the value of sin 30 by constructing a right-angled triangle with one angle that is
30, measuring the opposite side and hypotenuse and dividing them.
7 Check the value of tan 45 by constructing a right-angled triangle with one angle that is
45, measuring the opposite and adjacent sides and dividing them.
8 Use the table to estimate each trigonometric ratio and check your estimate using a
calculator.
a sin 80 b cos 34 c tan 55

9780170193085 145
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

9 If sin y ¼ 3, find the value of the unknown angle y to the nearest degree:
8
3
a by using the table and estimating (change to a decimal first)
8
b using a calculator to guess-and-check
c constructing a right-angled triangle with one angle y, opposite side 3 cm and
hypotenuse 8 cm, then measuring the size of y.
C

8 cm 3 cm

θ
A B

10 If cos y ¼ 2, find the value of the unknown angle y to the nearest degree:
5
a by using the table and estimating (change 2 to a decimal first)
5
b using a calculator to guess-and-check
c constructing a right-angled triangle with one angle y, adjacent side 2 cm and
hypotenuse 5 cm, then measuring the size of y.

11 If 7 , find the value of the unknown angle y to the nearest degree:

Worksheet 10
Finding an unknown a by using the table and estimating (change 7 to a decimal first)
angle
10
b using a calculator to guess-and-check
MAT09MGWK10044 c constructing a right-angled triangle with one angle y, opposite side 7 cm and adjacent
Puzzle sheet
side 10 cm, then measuring the size of y.
Trigonometry
squaresaw

MAT09MGPS10042

Homework sheet

Trigonometry 2
4-07 Finding an unknown angle
MAT09MGHS10033
A scientific calculator can be used to evaluate a trigonometric ratio such as sin 38, but it can also
Homework sheet be used to find an unknown angle, y, if the trigonometric ratio of the angle is known, for example,
Trigonometry revision if sin y ¼ 0.9063.
MAT09MGHS10034
An unknown angle can be found using the sin–1 , cos–1 and tan–1 keys on the calculator. These are
called the inverse sin, inverse cos and inverse tan functions, found by pressing the SHIFT or 2ndF
Animated example key before the sin , cos or tan keys.
Trigonometry

MAT09MGAE00009

Worksheet

Trigonometry problems

MAT09MGWK10045

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Example 16
a If tan X ¼ 3.754, find angle X, correct to the nearest minute.
b If cos a ¼ 4, find angle a, correct to the nearest degree.
7

Solution
a tan X ¼ 3:754
X ¼ 75:0837 . . .  On calculator: SHIFT tan 3.754 =
 0 00
¼ 75 5 1:62 On calculator: or DMS

 75 50
4
b cos a ¼
7
a ¼ 55:1500 . . .  On calculator: SHIFT cos 4 a b/c 7 =

 55

Example 17
Video tutorial
Find the size of angle y, correct to the nearest degree. W Finding an unknown
angle

MAT09MGVT10009
13 m
9m Video tutorial

Trigonometry

MAT09MGVT00009
θ
M T
Puzzle sheet
Solution Trigonometry:
W Finding angles
SOH, CAH or TOA?
The known sides are the opposite (O) side MAT09MGPS00044
13 m
and the hypotenuse (H), so use sin. Puzzle sheet
opposite
hypotenuse
Trigonometry
9m equations 2

9 θ MAT09MGPS00042
sin u ¼ M T
13
u ¼ 43:8130 . . . On calculator: SHIFT sin 9 a b/c 13 =

 44
From the diagram, an angle size of 44 looks reasonable.

9780170193085 147
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

Summary

Finding an unknown angle in a right-angled triangle

1 Identify the two known sides and decide whether to use the sin, cos or tan ratio.
2 Write an equation using the ratio, the angle variable and the two sides as a fraction.
3 Use the calculator’s inverse trigonometric function to find the size of the angle.

Example 18
n XYZ is right-angled at Y, with XY ¼ 35 cm and YZ ¼ 47 cm. Find \Z, correct to the nearest
minute.

Solution X

Sketch a diagram.
SOH, CAH or TOA? 35 m
The known sides are the opposite (O) and the opposite
adjacent (A), so use tan.
Z Y
47 cm
35 adjacent
tan u ¼
47
u ¼ 36:6743 . . . On calculator: SHIFT tan 35 a b/c 47 =
 0 00
¼ 36 40 27:66
 36 400
From the diagram, an angle size of 36400 looks reasonable.

Exercise 4-07 Finding an unknown angle

See Example 16 1 Find the size of angle y correct to the nearest degree.
pffiffiffi
3
a cos y ¼ 0.76 b tan y ¼ 2.0532 c sin u ¼ d tan y ¼ 6
2
e sin u ¼ 7 f cos u ¼ 13 g sin u ¼ 1 h cos u ¼ p1ffiffiffi
8 15 10 2
pffiffiffi 1
i tan u ¼ 3 j cos y ¼ 0.1352 k tan y ¼ 8.836 l sin u ¼
4
2 Find the size of angle A correct to the nearest minute.
15 4
a tan A ¼ b sin A ¼ 0.815 c cos A ¼ d cos A ¼ 0.9387
7 5
e tan A ¼ 19 f cos A ¼ 3 g sin A ¼ 5 h sin A ¼ 0.88
20 10 11
pffiffiffi
2
i tan A ¼ 15.07 j cos A ¼ 1 k tan A ¼ l sin A ¼ 7
7 2 9

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3 Find the angle Y, correct to the nearest degree. See Example 17

a 10 b c Y°
250 4.7

Y° 8.3
18
400
Y°

d e f
Y° 1570
Y°
28 0.375

32 0.875
Y° 1264

4 Find the size of angle a correct to the nearest minute.

Select the correct answer A, B, C or D.
A 30520 B 30530 8.7 m 5.2 m
C 36420 D 36430
α

5 Find the size of angle a correct to the nearest minute.

a b 8 cm c
α
20 m
5.2 m
8.7 m 17 cm

α
α 12 m

d e f
81 mm α α

α
1.2 m
7.1 m 0.8 m
95 mm

3.2 m

9780170193085 149
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

6 Find the size of angle y, correct to the nearest degree.

gate
a b c θ

15 m ramp 3.2 m 1250

θ mm
two-storey car park
80 m
string 2500 mm

θ
30 m

d e f
leaning
θ 90 m tower
5 m rope
175 cm
shadow
θ
340 cm rock
climber
2.5 m θ

3m

See Example 18 7 In n XYW, \ X ¼ 90, XY ¼ 8 cm and XW ¼ 10 cm. Find \W correct to the nearest degree.
8 In n FGH, \G ¼ 90, GH ¼ 3.7 m and FH ¼ 19.5 m. Find the size of angle F, correct to the
nearest minute.
9 nHTM is right-angled at T, HM ¼ 45 m and MT ¼ 35 m. Find \M, correct to one decimal
place.
10 nTSV is right-angled at S, TV ¼ 9.5 cm, and ST ¼ 8.4 cm. Find \V, correct to the nearest degree.
For questions 11 to 16, write your answers correct to the nearest degree.
Worked solutions 11 A stretch of freeway rises 55 m for every 300 m travelled along the road. Find the angle at
Finding an unknown
which the road is inclined to the horizontal.
angle
12 A ladder 20 m long is placed against a building. If the ladder reaches 16 m up the building,
MAT09MGWS10020 find the ladder’s angle of inclination to the building.
13 An aircraft is descending in a straight line to an airport. At a height of 1270 m, it is 1500 m
horizontally from the airport. Find its angle of descent to the horizontal. Select the correct
answer A, B, C or D.
A 32 B 40 C 50 D 58
14 A tree 8.5 m high casts a shadow 3 m long. What is the angle of the Sun from the ground?
15 At a resort, an artificial beach slopes down at a steady angle. After walking 8.5 m down the
slope from the water’s edge, the water has a depth of 1.6 m. At what angle is the beach
inclined to the horizontal?
16 A pile of wheat is in the shape of a cone that has a diameter of 35 m and measures 27 m up
the slope to the apex. Calculate the angle of repose of the wheat (the angle the sloping side
makes with the horizontal base).

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4-08 Angles of elevation and depression

Summary
The angle of elevation is the angle
of looking up, measured from
the horizontal.

lin
When you feel elevated, eo
things are ‘looking up’! fs
ig
ht

angle of
elevation
θ

The angle of depression is the angle of looking

horizontal
down, measured from the horizontal.
angle of θ
depression
ht
When you feel depressed, f sig
things are ‘looking down’! eo
lin

Problems involving angles of elevation and depression usually require the tan ratio in their
solutions.

An instrument for measuring an angle of elevation or depression is a clinometer. It is like a

protractor with a sighting tube attached.
The Picture Source/Terry Oakley

9780170193085 151
 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

Example 19
The angle of elevation of a chimney is 49 at a
distance of 85 m from its base. Find the height
of the chimney, to the nearest metre.

xm
Solution
Let the height be x metres.
tan 49 ¼ x
85
x ¼ 85 tan 49 49°
¼ 97:7813 . . .
85 m
 98
The height of the chimney is 98 m.

Example 20
The angle of depression of a boat from the top of a
8°
cliff is 8. If the boat is 350 m from the base of
the cliff, calculate the height of the cliff, correct
to the nearest metre. h

350 m

Solution
By alternate angles, the angle of elevation
8°
of the top of the cliff from the boat is also 8.
h
tan 8 ¼ h
350
h ¼ 350 tan 8
¼ 49:1892 . . . 8°
 49
350 m
The height of the cliff is 49 m.

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for the A ustralian Curriculum 9
Alternative method
The third angle in the triangle (adjacent to the angle of depression) ¼ 90 – 8 ¼ 82.

tan 82 ¼ 350

h

h¼ 350
tan 82
¼ 49:1892 . . .

 49
The height of the cliff is 49 m.

Example 21
The ramp from one level to the next in a Level 1
car park is 20 m long and drops 4 m. θ
20 m ramp 4m
Find the angle of depression of the ramp, Ground
to the nearest degree.

Solution
sin u ¼ 4
20
u ¼ 11:5369 . . .

 12
The angle of depression of the ramp is 12.

Exercise 4-08 Angles of elevation and depression

1 Copy each diagram, mark the angle of elevation y and find its size.

a b c 54°

30°
70°

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 Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Trigonometry

2 Copy each diagram, mark the angle of depression y and find its size.
a b c

41°

62°

43°

See Example 19 3 Marnie stands 800 m from the base of a building.

Using a clinometer, she finds that the angle of
elevation of the top is 9. Find the height of
the building, to the nearest metre. 9°
800 m

4 The angle of elevation of a weather balloon at

a height of 1.5 km is 34. How far (to the nearest metre)
is the observer from being directly under the balloon?
1.5 km

34°

See Example 20 5 A raft is 320 m from the base of a cliff. The angle of
29°
depression of the raft from the top of the cliff is 29.
Find the height of the cliff, to the nearest metre.

320 m

6 From the top of a 200 m tower, the angle of

depression of a car is 48. How far is the
car from the foot of the tower? Answer to the
nearest metre.
200 m

See Example 21 7 A 275 m radio mast is 1.7 km from a school. Find, correct to the nearest degree, the angle
of elevation of the top of the mast from the school.
8 In a concert hall, Bill is sitting 20 m from the stage by line of sight. He is also 5 m above the
level of the stage. At what angle of depression is the stage? Answer to the nearest minute.
9 A monument 24 m high casts a shadow 20 m long. Calculate, correct to the nearest degree,
the angle of elevation of the sun at this time of day.
10 A plane is 340 m directly above one end
of a 1000 m runway. Find, correct to the
Shutterstock.com/whitelook

nearest minute, the angle of depression

to the far end of the runway.

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11 An observer 174 cm tall is standing 11.6 m from the base of a flagpole. The angle of elevation
to the top of the flagpole is 43. How high is the flagpole, to the nearest cm?
12 A flagpole is mounted on top of a tall building. At a distance of 250 m from the base of the Worked solutions
building, the angles of elevation of the bottom and top of the flagpole are 38 and 40 Angles of elevation
respectively. Calculate the height of the flagpole, correct to one decimal place. and depression

13 A news helicopter hovers at a height of 500 m. The angles of depression of a fire moving in the MAT09MGWS10021

direction of the helicopter are first 10 and then 15. How far (to the nearest metre) has the
fire moved between the two observations?
14 The angle of elevation to the bottom of a transmission tower on a hill from an observer 1.8 km
away from the base of the hill is 5. The angle of elevation to the top of the tower from the
observer is 6.8. If the distance from the observer to the base of the hill is 1.8 km, find the
height of the tower to the nearest metre.

Worksheet
4-09 Bearings A page of bearings

MAT09MGWK10046
Bearings are used in navigation. A bearing is an angle measurement that is used to precisely
Worksheet
describe the direction of one location from a given reference point.
NSW map bearings

MAT09MGWK10047
Three-figure bearings
Worksheet
Three-figure bearings, also called true bearings, use angles from 000 to 360 to show the amount
16 points of the
of turning measured clockwise from north 000. Note that the angles are always written with three compass
digits.
MAT09MGWK10048
The compass rose below shows the three-figure bearings of eight points on the compass. A
bearing of due east is 090, while a compass direction of southwest (SW) is 225.

Summary

Bearings from 000 to 090 are in the NE quadrant. (000°)

N
Bearings from 090 to 180 are in the SE quadrant.
Bearings from 180 to 270 are in the SW quadrant. NW NE
Bearings from 270 to 360 are in the NW quadrant. (315°) (045°)

W E
(270°) (090°)

SW SE
(225°) (135°)
S
(180°)

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Compass bearings N
Compass bearings refer to the sixteen points (000°)
of a mariner’s compass. NNW NNE
(315°) NW NE (045°)

WNW ENE

(270°) W E (090°)

WSW ESE

(225°) SW SE (135°)
SSW SSE
S
(180°)
N ¼ north NNE ¼ north-northeast NE ¼ northeast ENE ¼ east-northeast
E ¼ east ESE ¼ east-southeast SE ¼ southeast SSE ¼ south-southeast
S ¼ south SSW ¼ south-southwest SW ¼ southwest WSW ¼ west-southwest
W ¼ west WNW ¼ west-northwest NW ¼ northwest NNW ¼ north-northwest

Example 22
Write the three-figure bearing of each point from O.
a N b N c N
T M
43°
35°
O 20° O O
X

Solution
a Bearing of X from O is 90 þ 20 ¼ 110.
b Bearing of T from O is 360  43 ¼ 317.
c Bearing of M from O is 90  35 ¼ 055 Must be written as a three-digit angle.

Example 23
N
Sketch point B on a compass rose if B has a bearing of 155 from A.

Solution
Draw the compass rose on the point where the bearing is measured from. A 65°
155 is between 90 and 180, so B is in the southeast (SE) quadrant.
155  90 ¼ 65, so B is 65 from east (E).
B

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Example 24
The bearing of Y from X is 130. What is the bearing of X from Y ?

Solution
N
Sketch the bearing of Y from X.
On the same diagram, draw a
compass rose at Y and find \NYX. 130°
X

50°

\ NYX ¼ 50 (co-interior angles, NX || NY)

) Bearing of X from Y ¼ 360  50
¼ 310

Exercise 4-09 Bearings

1 Write the bearing of each point from O. See Example 22

a N b N c N
F
M 40°
70°

27° O O O
P

d N e N f N

O O
25° O
H 40° W
30°
T

g N h N i N

E
X
42° O 25°
O 73° O
A

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2 What is the bearing of each point from O? N

a N b E c S d W T F
e F f Q g T h B
i H j K O 38° H
60° 18°
W E
45°
55°
7°
Q
B

K
S
3 What is the compass direction shown by point B in question 2?
4 Sketch each bearing on a compass rose.
a 220 b 060 c 260 d 125
e 350 f 267 g 171 h 32
5 a What is the compass direction halfway between northwest and west?
b What is the three-figure bearing of this compass direction?
See Example 23 6 Sketch P on a compass rose if P has a bearing of:
a 132 from T b 260 from M c 335 from X d 010 from K
See Example 24 7 If the bearing of P from A is 060, what is the bearing of A from P?
8 The bearing of T from Y is 100. What is the bearing of Y from T?
9 What is the angle between:
a S and SW? b NE and SE? c E and NW?
10 The compass bearing of H from M is WNW. Find the compass bearing of M from H.
11 Draw a diagram for each situation described.
a A plane flies on a bearing of 280 for 150 km and then another 250 km on a bearing
of 080.
b A cyclist travels 15 km due east and then 20 km on a SW bearing.
12 For this diagram, find the bearing of:
a Y from Z N
b X from Z
c Y from X X E
W Z
d X from Y 70°
e Z from Y 50°
f Z from X
S

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Investigation: Compass walks
You need: a directional compass and a tape measure or trundle wheel.
This activity can also be done in the classroom using scale drawings, graph paper, a ruler
and a protractor.
A triangular walk
1 Starting at A, walk due east for 3 m to B.
2 From B, walk due south for 4 m to C.
3 How far is C from A?
4 What is the bearing of:
a A from C? b C from A?
A square walk N N
1 Starting at P, walk a bearing of 045 for 8 m to Q. 090°
2 From Q, walk a bearing of 315 for 8 m to R. 3m
A B 180°
3 From R, walk a bearing of 225 for 8 m to S.
4 How far is S from P?
5 What is the bearing of:
a P from S ? b S from P? 4m
A pentagonal walk
1 Starting at U, walk a bearing of 130 for 4 m to V.
2 From V, walk a bearing of 40 for 7 m to W.
3 From W, walk a bearing of 320 for 4.8 m to X. C
4 From X, walk a bearing of 270 for 4.5 m to Y.
5 How far is Y from U?
6 What is the bearing of:
a U from Y? b Y from U ?

4-10 Problems involving bearings

Example 25
A plane leaves an airport and flies 600 km on a bearing of 145. N
How far south of the airport is the plane (to the nearest km)?

145°
airport
A

35° 600 km
x km

P
plane
S

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Solution
Let x km ¼ distance south
\ SAP ¼ 180  145 Angles on a straight line

¼ 35
x
cos 35 ¼
600
x ¼ 600 cos 35
¼ 491:4912 . . .
 491
The plane is 491 km south of the airport.

Example 26
From camp, Andie walks due north for 8 km, N
then 6 km due west to a lake.
a How far is Andie from the camp? lake 6 km
θ
b What is the bearing of the camp
from the lake (to the nearest minute)?

x km 8 km

camp

Solution
a Let x ¼ distance from camp. by Pythagoras’ theorem
2 2 2
x ¼6 þ8
¼ 100
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
x ¼ 100
¼ 10
Andie is 10 km from the camp.
b Note angle y in the diagram.
8
tan u ¼
6
u ¼ 53:1301 . . .
¼ 53 70 48:36800
 53 80
Bearing of camp from lake ¼ 90 þ 53 80
¼ 143 80

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Exercise 4-10 Problems involving bearings
1 A yacht leaves Sydney and sails 120 km on a bearing of 080. N See Example 25
a How far north of Sydney is the yacht? N
Answer to the nearest kilometre. Y
b What is the bearing of Sydney from the yacht? 120 km
80°
x
S

2 Colin leaves Nyngan and drives 204 km to Bourke. N

The bearing of Bourke from Nyngan is 323.
a Find the value of y. Bourke

b How far north (to the nearest km) of Nyngan

is Bourke?
204 km
c What is the bearing of Nyngan from Bourke?

323° Nyngan

3 The distance ‘as the crow flies’ from Sydney to Wollongong is 69 km. If the bearing of
Wollongong from Sydney is 205, calculate:
a how far south Wollongong is from Sydney, correct to the nearest kilometre.
b how far east Sydney is from Wollongong
c the bearing of Sydney from Wollongong.
4 Jana cycles 10 km due south, then 7 km due west. N See Example 26
a How far (correct to one decimal place) is Jana
from her starting point? Start
b What is her bearing from the starting point,
correct to the nearest degree?

d 10 km

Stop 7 km

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5 A triathlete cycles 20 km on a SSE bearing to the finish line.

a How far (to the nearest km) has the triathlete travelled in a southerly direction?
b What is the compass bearing of the starting point from the finish line?
6 A hiking group walks from Sandy Flats to Black Ridge (a distance of 20.9 km) in the direction
078. They then turn and hike due south to Rivers End, then due west back to Sandy Flats.
How far have they hiked altogether (to the nearest 0.1 km)?
7 A triangular orienteering run starts at Alpha and passes through the checkpoints of Bravo and
Charlie before finishing at Alpha. Bravo is 8.5 km due east of Alpha, and Charlie is 10.5 km
due south of Bravo.
a Calculate, correct to three decimal places, the distance from Charlie to Alpha.
b Find the bearing of Alpha from Charlie to the nearest degree.

Worked solutions 8 A plane takes off from Darwin at 10:15 a.m. and flies on a bearing of 150 at 700 km/h.
a How far (to the nearest km) due south of Darwin is the plane at 1:45 p.m.?
Problems involving
bearings b What is the bearing (correct to the nearest degree) of Darwin from the plane?
MAT09MGWS10022 9 A fishing trawler sails 30 km from port on a bearing of 120 until it reaches a submerged reef.
How far (to the nearest km) is the port:
a north of the reef? b west of the reef?
10 Two racing pigeons are set free at the same time. The first bird flies on a course of 040 while
the second bird flies on a course of 130.
a The first bird flies 200 km until it is due north of the second bird. Find their distance apart
correct to two decimal places.
b How far has the second bird flown?
11 Two horse riders start from the same stable. The rider of the black horse goes due west for
5.5 km and stops. The rider of the chestnut horse travels in a direction of 303 until he is due
north of the black horse. How far did the rider of the chestnut horse travel? Answer correct
to three decimal places.
12 Two ships leave from the same port. One ship travels on a bearing of 157 at 20 knots. The second
ship travels on a bearing of 247 at 35 knots. (1 knot is a speed of 1 nautical mile per hour.)
a How far apart are the ships after 8 hours, to the nearest nautical mile?
b Calculate the bearing of the second ship from the first, to the nearest minute.

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Power plus

1 a Copy and complete each pair of trigonometric ratios correct to three decimal places.
i sin 20 ¼ _____, cos 70 ¼ _____ ii sin 47 ¼ _____, cos 43 ¼ _____
iii sin 55 ¼ _____, cos 35 ¼ ______ iv sin 85 ¼ _____, cos 5 ¼ _____
b What do you notice about each pair of answers in part a ?
c What do you notice about each pair of angles in part a ?
d If cos 30  0.8660 and sin y  0.8660, what is the value of y?
e Copy and complete each equation.
i sin 75 ¼ cos ____ ii ___ 80 ¼ cos 10 iii cos ____ ¼ sin 72
iv sin 30 ¼ ____ 60 v cos 65 ¼ sin ____ vi sin ____ ¼ cos 58
f Copy and complete this general rule: sin x ¼ cos (_________).
g Use a right-angled triangle with one angle x and sides a, b and c to prove that the
above rule is true.
2 A plane is flying at an angle of 15 inclined to the horizontal.
a How far will the plane have to travel along its line of flight to increase its altitude
(height) by 500 m?
b At what angle must the plane climb to achieve an increase in altitude of 500 m in half
the distance needed at an angle of 15?
3 If sin 30 ¼ 1, find, as a surd, the value of:
2
a cos 30 b tan 30
4 Find the value of angle y, correct to the nearest second.

a 15.6 b

34.7

θ
34.7
15.6
θ

5 By drawing an appropriate triangle, prove that:

a tan 45 ¼ 1 b sin 45 ¼ sin 45 ¼ p1ffiffiffi c cos 45 ¼ cos 45 ¼ p1ffiffiffi
2 2

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 Chapter 4 review

n Language of maths
Puzzle sheet adjacent angle of depression angle of elevation bearing
Trigonometry clinometer compass bearing cosine (cos) degree ()
crossword
denominator horizontal hypotenuse inverse ( 1)
MAT09MGPS10049
minute (0 ) opposite right-angled second (00 )
Quiz
sine (sin) tangent (tan) theta (y) three-figure bearing
Trigonometry
trigonometry trigonometric ratio unknown vertical
MAT09MGQZ00009

1 When measuring angle size, what is a second and what is its symbol?
2 What word means ‘next to’?
3 Which side of a right-angled triangle is fixed and does not depend on the position of an
angle?
4 What are the first two letters of the Greek alphabet?
5 The word minute has an alternative pronunciation and meaning. What is its alternative
meaning?
6 What does inverse mean and how is it used in trigonometry?

n Topic overview
Low High
For each statement about the topic, give a rating
from 0 to 5 using this scale. 0 1 2 3 4 5
• I understand the meaning of the hypotenuse, opposite and adjacent sides
• I understand the meaning of the sine, cosine and tangent ratios
• I can use the calculator to evaluate trigonometric expressions involving angles stated in
degrees and minutes
• I am able to use the trigonometric ratios to find unknown sides
• I am able to use the trigonometric ratios to find unknown angles
• I am able to solve trigonometric problems involving angles of elevation and depression,
and bearings

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Copy (or print) and complete this mind map of the topic, adding detail to its branches Worksheet
and using pictures, symbols and colour where needed. Ask your teacher to check your work. Mind map:
Trigonometry
H (Advanced)
O
MAT09MGWK10051
A

Right-angled The trigonometric Trigonometric

triangles ratios on a calculator 9
50°
m

Finding an
Bearings TRIGONOMETRY unknown side

N Finding an
unknown
O Angles of elevation angle
and depression
30° T
6
θ
horizontal 8
θ θ
horizontal

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 Chapter 4 revision

See Exercise 4-02 1 For this triangle, write as a fraction: 56

Y
a sin Y b tan Y c sin X d cos X
33
65

X
See Exercise 4-02 2 If sin a ¼ 36, write the values of cos a and tan a as fractions. (Draw a diagram.)
85
See Exercise 4-04 3 Round each angle to the nearest degree.
a 64270 b 25430 c 1280 5000
See Exercise 4-04 4 Round each angle to the nearest minute.
a 50190 2600 b 31550 5500 c 64180 3000
See Exercise 4-04 5 Evaluate each expression, correct to four decimal places.
a cos 32 b sin 5090 c tan 8450
d 200 tan 18 e 14 sin 87400 f 13
cos 18 270
See Exercise 4-04 6 Convert each angle size to degrees and minutes, correct to the nearest minute.
a 45.8 b 33.175 c 5.346
See Exercise 4-05 7 Find the value of each pronumeral, correct to two decimal places.
a b c
58.2° 76° n mm
rm
3.6 mm
t cm
85.3 cm

35
20.7 m °

See Exercise 4-06 8 For each triangle, find the length of side AC, correct to one decimal place.
a b A c C

81 m
23 cm
55°
A C 47°29'
C 33.7°
A
19.3 mm

See Exercise 4-07 9 Find the size of angle y, correct to the nearest minute.

a tan y ¼ 2.57 b cos u ¼ 4 c sin u ¼ 1:5

7 1:6

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10 Find the size of angle a, correct to the nearest degree. See Exercise 4-07

a b c
α
11.7 cm
α
2500 mm 1975 mm
6.3 cm 1.5 m
α
0.8 m

11 In n AEC, \C ¼ 90, CE ¼ 3.9 m and AE ¼ 4.2 m. Find \ A, correct to the nearest minute. See Exercise 4-07

12 The angle of elevation of a tower roof is 26 at a point 400 m from its base. Find the height See Exercise 4-08
of the tower correct to the nearest metre.
13 Find the angle of depression (correct to the See Exercise 4-08
nearest degree) of a boat that is 100 m 55 m
from the base of a 55 m cliff.

100 m
14 What is the bearing of: See Exercise 4-09
N
a Rocky from Mulga?
b Mulga from Rocky?
Rocky

320° Mulga

15 Two planes leave an airport at the same time. The first travels on a bearing of 063 See Exercise 4-10
at 500 km/h. The second travels on a bearing of 153 at 400 km/h.
a How far apart are the planes after 2 hours, to the nearest km?
b Calculate, correct to the nearest degree, the bearing of the first plane from the
second plane.

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