Skills Pack – Pythagoras’ Theorem and Trigonometry in 3D

Lesson 1: Pythagoras’ Theorem in 3D

Cambridge IGCSE™
Mathematics 0580

Version 0.1
 Quick recap on Pythagoras’ theorem

Find the missing values.

Leave any non-integer answers to 1 decimal place

𝒙
𝟓 𝒄𝒎
𝒚 𝒛
𝟏𝟐𝒄𝒎 𝟏𝟔𝒄𝒎 𝟒𝟎 𝒎
Answers:
𝟕.
𝟓𝒄
𝒎
𝟐𝟎 𝒎
 Using Pythagoras’ theorem in 3D

We often use Pythagoras’ theorem to find the longest diagonal

length across a rectangle:

𝟐
𝟐+ 𝒃
𝒂 √𝒂
𝒄=

𝒃
What shape could we use to help use find three dimensional diagonals?
A cuboid
Using Pythagoras’ theorem in 3D

𝟐 𝒄
𝟐 + 𝒄
𝟐 +𝒃

𝒅=
√𝒂
𝒃
𝒂
We can simply extend Pythagoras’ theorem in 2 dimensions

Proof to follow later

Example 1:

𝟑𝒄𝒎
𝒙

𝟐𝒄𝒎
𝟔𝒄𝒎
Your turn:

𝟒𝒄𝒎
𝒚

𝟒𝒄𝒎
𝟕𝒄𝒎
Example 2:

Dave has a storage room in the shape of a cube. Each length is 5 metres.
He wants to store thin wooden sticks in his room.
Could he fit a 9 metre stick in his storage room?

𝟓𝒎
𝒙

𝟓𝒎
This is the longest straight line that can fit in the room. 𝟓𝒎
The 9 metre stick will not fit in.
 Proof (optional)

Imagine the following purple triangle.

This is it in 2D:
𝒄
𝒄
𝒅
√ 𝒂 +𝒃
𝟐 𝟐
𝒅
To find we need an expression for the 𝟐
𝒃
√ 𝒂 +𝒃
𝟐
bottom length.
This missing length is the hypotenuse 𝒂
of another triangle:
We can use 2D Pythagoras to find this.
𝟐 Now, returning to the purple triangle:
+ 𝒃𝟐
𝒃
√𝒂 Squaring a ‘square root’ cancels it out!

𝒂
Now Work Through Worksheet 1