19/05/2020 Cosine Rule (Law of Cosines) | Brilliant Math & Science Wiki

Cosine Rule (Law of Cosines)

The cosine rule, also known as the law of cosines, relates all 3 sides of a triangle with an angle of a triangle.

It is most useful for solving for missing information in a triangle. For example, if all three sides of the triangle are know
cosine rule allows one to find any of the angle measures. Similarly, if two sides and the angle between them is known
rule allows one to find the third side length.

Contents
Statement and Proof of the Theorem
Finding Missing Side Lengths and Angles
Applications to Bearing and Heading Problems
Vector Form of Cosine Rule

Deriving other Laws Using the Cosine Rule

Problem Solving
See Also

Statement and Proof of the Theorem

Given the following triangle ABC with corresponding sides length a, b, and c :

the law of cosines states that

a2 = b2 + c2 − 2bc ⋅ cos A
b2 = a2 + c2 − 2ac ⋅ cos B
c2 = a2 + b2 − 2ab ⋅ cos C.

It can be seen as a generalization of the Pythagorean theorem. Take one arbitrary side of the triangle, for instance, a.
square equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides, i.e. a2
= b2 + c2 . If you were to plug in 90 degrees, you
le with the Pythagorean theorem. Since the angle α that faces our arbitrary side a is not necessarily 90°, we will hav
subtract something, as the identity a2 = b2 + c2 does not hold yet. The right side of this equation is still "too big." Th
something we have to subtract becomes 2bc ⋅ cos A.

PROOF

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We'll prove for side a. Let's denote its facing angle as α. The other two equations can be done in a similar way.

By definition we have

h
sin α = ⟹ h = c ⋅ sin α
c
r
cos α = ⟹ r = c ⋅ cos α.
c

Using the Pythagorean theorem, we get

a2 = h2 + (b − r)2 .

Substituting for h and r , we get

a2 = (c ⋅ sin α)2 + (b − c ⋅ cos α)2

= c2 ⋅ sin2 α + b2 − 2bc ⋅ cos α + c2 ⋅ cos2 α
= c2 ⋅ ( sin2 α + cos2 α) + b2 − 2bc ⋅ cos α
= c2 + b2 − 2bc ⋅ cos α. □

Notes:

2
The identity sin α + cos2 α = 1 is also known as the Pythagorean identity.
This proof isn't perfect. We should have been worried about angles. This can be avoided by using directed angle

PROOF

Let a ⋅ b denote the dot product between a and b.

Also, let a = BC , b = AC , and c = AB .
Then

c2 = c ⋅ c = (b − a) ⋅ (b − a) = b2 + a2 − 2a ⋅ b = b2 + a2 − 2ab cos C. □

Finding Missing Side Lengths and Angles

Given side-angle-side:

EXAMPLE

In triangle ABC , we have ∠BAC = π4 , ∣BC ∣ = 5 and ∣AB ∣ = 3. Determine ∣AC ∣.

Applying the cosine rule on ∠BAC , we get

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π
∣AB ∣2 + ∣ AC ∣2 − 2∣AB ∣ ⋅ ∣ AC ∣ ⋅ cos = ∣BC ∣2
4
∣ AC ∣2 − 3 2 ∣ AC ∣ + 4 = 0
(∣ AC ∣ − 2) (∣ AC ∣ − 2 2) = 0.

Hence, ∣AC ∣ = 2  or 2 2 . □

Note: This is similar to the 'ambiguous case' of sine rule, since we have 3 sin π4 < 5 < 3, which is the condition c
a < c.

TRY IT YOURSELF

Points D and E are the midpoints of sides BC and CA, 7

respectively, of △ABC.
5
If AD = 5 and BC = BE = 4, then find the length of
CA. 2 7

5 5

TRY IT YOURSELF

In triangle ABC , ∠ACB = 90∘ . Points A, D, E, and B are consecutive points on side Submit your answ

AB such that AD = DE = EB . If there exists θ such that CD = 5 cos θ and CE =

2
5 sin θ , what is AB ?

Given side-side-side:

EXAMPLE

In triangle ABC , AB = 6− 2 , AC = 2 2 , and BC = 2 3 . Find the measure of ∠ABC.

Applying the law of cosines on side AC, we get

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2 2 2
AC = AB + BC − 2 ⋅ AB ⋅ BC ⋅ cos ∠ABC

2 2 2
(2 2 ) = ( 6 − 2 ) + (2 3 ) − 2 ⋅ 2 3 ⋅ ( 6 − 2 ) ⋅ cos ∠ABC

8 = 6 − 4 3 + 2 + 12 − (12 2 − 4 6 ) cos ∠ABC

−12 + 4 3 = (−12 2 + 4 6 ) cos ∠ABC

−12 + 4 3
cos ∠ABC =
−12 2 + 4 6

1 −12 + 4 3 2
= ⋅ =
2 −12 + 4 3 2

π
⇒ ∠ABC = . □
4

Try the following problem:

TRY IT YOURSELF

An ant is lost in a square, and his distances to the vertices of the square are 7, 35, 49, and x. Submit your answ

Find x.

Note: The image is not drawn to scale.

Applications to Bearing and Heading Problems

When it comes to the applications with regards to the law of cosines, it has its own applications towards vector quant
not qualities).

See: Bearing

Vector Form of Cosine Rule

We have
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c 2 = a2 + b 2 − 2 ⋅ a ⋅ b
= a2 − 2 ⋅ a ⋅ b + b 2
2
= (a − b ) .

Deriving other Laws Using the Cosine Rule

Triangle Inequality
Pythagorean Theorem

EXAMPLE

From the cosine rule, we have

c2 ≤ a2 + b2 + 2ab = (a + b)2 ,

and by taking the square root of both sides, we have c ≤ a + b, which is also known as the triangle inequality. One
application of the triangle inequality is to test if three given lengths can define a triangle.

EXAMPLE

The Pythagorean theorem applies to right triangles, so let γ be a right angle, i.e., γ = π2 . Then by the cosine rule,
π
c2 = a2 + b2 − 2ab cos γ = a2 + b2 − 2ab cos = a2 + b2 − 0 = a2 + b2 .
2

EXAMPLE

Suppose a, b, and c are positive reals such that a2 = b2 + c2 − bc, b2 = c2 + a2 − ac, and c2 = a2 + b2 − ab. Show that a = b = c.

Since c2 = a2 + b2 − ab < a2 + b2 + 2ab = (a + b)2 , it follows that c < a + b and we have similar inequalities
variables. Hence, the numbers a, b and c satisfy the triangle inequality, and there exists a triangle ABC such that ∣
c, ∣BC ∣ = a, ∣CA ∣ = b. As such

a2 + c2 − b2 a2 + c2 − (a2 + c2 − ac) 1
cos ∠ABC = = = ,
2ac 2ac 2
which gives us that ∠ABC = 60∘ . Similarily, we have ∠BCA = 60∘ and ∠CAB = 60∘ , which show that triangl
is equilaterial, implying that a = b = c. □

Note: This may also be done directly by summing up the 3 equations to get (a − b)2 + (b − c)2 + (c − a)2 = 0.

TRY IT YOURSELF

⎧a
Submit your answ
⎪ + ab + b
2 2
= 9
⎨b2 + bc + c2 = 52
⎪ 2
⎩
c + ca + a2 = 49

Let a, b and c be real numbers satisfying the system of equations above.

49b2 + 39bc + 9c2

Compute the integral value of .
a2
Hint: See the topic of this question.

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Source: HMMT

TRY IT YOURSELF

Submit your answ

The figure above shows an isosceles triangle ABC with BA = AC and ∠BAC = 120∘ .

Let D be a point on AC such that AD > DC . Given that the lengths of BA, AD, DC ,
and BD are all distinct prime numbers, what is the length of BD?

Problem Solving

TRY IT YOURSELF

a2 +b2
In △ABC , BC = a cm, AC = b cm, and AB = c cm. Given that c2 = 2011, find Submit your answ

the value of

cot C
.
cot A + cot B

This problem is not original.

TRY IT YOURSELF

An ant, located in a square field, is 13 m from one of the corner posts of the field, 17 m Submit your answ

from the corner post diagonally opposite to the first one, and 20 m from a third corner
post. Assuming the land is flat, find the area of the field (in m2 ).

TRY IT YOURSELF

One big and one small circle share the same center O . Submit your answ

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Then △ABC is constructed such that points A and B are on the big circle while point C is
on the smaller circle. AB intersects the smaller circle at D and E and AC passes through
F and O, as shown above.

If AF = 3 (red segment), DE = 6 (blue segment), and BC = 11 (green side), what is

the radius of the smaller, orange circle?

See Also

Bearing - Word Problems

Proving Trigonometric Identites

Cite as: Cosine Rule (Law of Cosines). Brilliant.org. Retrieved 17:36, May 19, 2020, from h ps://brilliant.org/wiki/cosine-rule/

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