LAW OF COSINE WORD PROBLEMS WORKSHEET

Problem 1 :

Peter has three sticks measuring 19 inches, 23 inches, and 27 inches. He lays them down to form a triangle. Find the measure of the angle enclosed by the 19 inch and 23 inch sides to the nearest degree.

Solution

Problem 2 :

Mary is orienteering across a large flat plain from Marker A to Marker B which are 4 miles apart. After walking 1.8 miles she realizes she is 6° off-course. To the nearest tenth of a mile, how far from Marker B is she when she realizes her error?

Solution

Problem 3 :

A farmer has a field in the shape of a triangle. The farmer has asked the manufacturing class at your school to build a metal fence for his farm. From one vertex, it is 435 m to the second vertex and 656 m to the third vertex. The angle between the lines of sight to the second and third vertices is 49^o. Calculate how much fencing he would need to enclose his entire field.

Solution

Problem 4 :

A bicycle race follows a triangular course. The 3 legs of the race are, in order, 2.3 km, 5.9 km and 6.2 km. Find the angle between the starting leg and the finishing leg, to the nearest degree.

Solution

Problem 5 :

You’ve been given an assignment to mill a triangular shape on the CNC machine for a contemporary sign for the arts department. The dimensions you’re given by your manufacturing teacher are shown in the following diagram. What is the measurement of TS?

Solution