Advanced Trigonometry: Solving for CX in a Triangle with Area 56.4 (3sf)

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
3 replies · 5K views
david18
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
I found the area of this triangle to be 56.4 (to 3sf) easily but i can't work out the length of CX. any ideas?
 

Attachments

  • mathsq.jpg
    mathsq.jpg
    7.1 KB · Views: 512
Physics news on Phys.org
sorry i think i worded my question incrorrectly. I'm looking for the length BX. Angle CXB is a right angle. I can't use the cosine rule because i only know one length (15) and one angle (90degrees)
 
In other words, x is the point at the foot of the altitude! I was thinking x was th length of AB. You have two right triangles, CXA and CXB. The two given lengths are the lengths of the hypotenuses. Let the two angles at C be a and b. You know that CX/8= sin(a), CX/15= sin(b), and a+ b= 70. Is that enough?