752 CHAPTER 7 Applications of Trigonometry 7-42
substitute known
values
results. For the first illustra-
tion (see Figure 7.54), we’ll
draw a 20-cm horizontal line
segment near the bottom of
the paper, then use the left
endpoint to mark off a
angle. Draw the second side a length of 18 cm. Our first
goal is to compute the length of the side needed to com-
plete the triangle, then verify our computation by mea-
surement. Since the current “triangle” is SAS, we use the
law of cosines. Label the as the top vertex as
and the right endpoint as
law of cosines with respect to a
simplify (round to 10)
combine terms
solve for a
The computed length of side a is 11.6 cm, and if you
took great care in drawing your diagram, you’ll find the
missing side is indeed very close to this length.
Exercise 1: Finish solving the triangle above using the
law of sines. Once you’ve computed and C,B
a 11.6
134.2
724 589.8
1202
2
1182
2
212021182cos 35
a
2
b
2
c
2
2bc cos A
C.
B,A,35°
35°
measure these angles from the diagram using your
protractor. How close was the computed measure to the
actual measure?
For the second illustra-
tion (see Figure 7.55), draw
any arbitrary triangle on a
separate blank sheet, noting
that the larger the triangle,
the easier it is to measure the
angles. After you’ve drawn
it, measure the length of
each side to the nearest millimeter (our triangle turned out
to be ). Now use the law of
cosines to find one angle, then the law of sines to solve the
triangle. The computations for our triangle gave angles of
and What angles did your computa-
tions give? Finally, use your protractor to measure the
angles of the triangle you drew. With careful drawings, the
measured results are often remarkably accurate!
Exercise 2: Using sides of 18 cm and 15 cm, draw a
angle, a angle, and a angle, then complete each
triangle by connecting the endpoints. Use the law of
cosines to compute the length of this third side, then
actually measure each one. Was the actual length close to
the computed length?
70°50°
35°
38.7°.45.9°,95.4°,
21.2 cm 13.3 cm 15.3 cm
Figure 7.55
Figure 7.54
20 cm
18 cm
?
90
35
180 0
13.3 cm
15.3 cm
21.2 cm
In Section 7.3 we introduced the concept of a vector, with its geometric, graphical, and
algebraic representations. We also looked at operations on vectors and employed vector
diagrams to solve basic applications. In this section we introduce additional ideas that
enable us to solve a variety of new applications, while laying a strong foundation for
future studies.
A. Vectors and Equilibrium
Much like the intuitive meaning of the word,
vector forces are in equilibrium when they
“counterbalance” each other. The simplest
example is two vector forces of equal mag-
nitude acting on the same point but in oppo-
site directions. Similar to a tug-of-war with
both sides equally matched, no one wins. If
vector F
1
has a magnitude of 500 lb in the
positive direction, would need
vector to counter it. If the
forces are nonquadrantal, we intuitively
sense the components must still sum to zero,
and that would need
for equilibrium to occur
(see Figure 7.56). In other words, two
vectors are in equilibrium when their sum is
F
4
H600, 200I
F
3
H600, 200I
F
2
H500, 0I
F
1
H500, 0I
Learning Objectives
In Section 7.4 you will learn how to:
A. Use vectors to investi-
gate forces in equilibrium
B. Find the components of
one vector along
another
C. Solve applications
involving work
D. Compute dot products
and the angle between
two vectors
E. Find the projection of
one vector along
another and resolve a
vector into orthogonal
components
F. Use vectors to develop
an equation for nonverti-
cal projectile motion,
and solve related
applications
7.4 Vector Applications and the Dot Product
x
y
600, 200I
H600, 200I
F
3
F
4
H600, 200I H600, 200I
0, 0
0
F
3
F
4
Figure 7.56
College Algebra & Trignometry—
cob19529_ch07_736-752.qxd 12/30/08 3:32PM Page 752 User-S200 Data Disk:broker:MH-DUBUQUE:MHDQ092:MHDQ092-7.3: