If you are given the measures of an acute angle and a side of a right triangle, you can find the lengths of the other two sides.
Problem 4 Using a Trigonometric Ratio to Solve a Problem
Aviation An airplane's angle of descent into the airport is
| Know | Need | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| An airplane is 5000 ft high and starts to descend at an angle of
|
The straight-line distance from the airplane to the airport. | Draw a right triangle to show the known information. Set up a trigonometric ratio that involves the known information and what you want to find. |
Let x represent the straight-line distance.
The straight-line distance is about 95,500 ft, or about 18 miles.
✓ Got It?
- If the airplane in Problem 4 begins its descent at an altitude of 4000 feet, what is its straight-line distance to the airport?
Given any two sides in a right triangle, you can use inverse trigonometric functions to find the measures of the acute angles.
Problem 5 Finding an Angle Measure
In
Plan
Which trigonometric ratio do you use?
You know the side adjacent to D and the hypotenuse. Use cosine.
To the nearest tenth of a degree,
✓ Got It?
- What is
-
Table of Contents
- 5-1 Polynomial Functions
- 5-2 Polynomials, Linear Factors, and Zeros
- 5-3 Solving Polynomial Equations
- 5-4 Dividing Polynomials
- 5-5 Theorems About Roots of Polynomial Equations
- 5-6 The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
- 5-7 The Binomial Theorem
- 5-8 Polynomial Models in the Real World
- 5-9 Transforming Polynomial Functions