MHB Find the angle BHL using trigonometry

  • Thread starter Thread starter mathlearn
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Angle Trigonometry
mathlearn
Messages
331
Reaction score
0
Hi,

View attachment 5795

As told in the problem I drew a figure,

View attachment 5794

Next the magnitude of $$\angle BHL$$ should be found using trigonometric tables.

Can you help me to and find the angle BHL (Smile)

Many Thanks (Smile)
 

Attachments

  • trig 1.PNG
    trig 1.PNG
    7.5 KB · Views: 112
  • trig.PNG
    trig.PNG
    21.1 KB · Views: 112
Last edited:
Mathematics news on Phys.org
I think I would begin by finding $\angle {BAL}=\theta$. Then once we have that, we can find $\overline{BL}$ since:

$$\sin(\theta)=\frac{\overline{BL}}{3\text{ km}}$$

What do you find so far?
 
$$sin(θ)= \frac{BL}{3 km}$$

sin(θ) * 3 km = BL , Correct ?

Many Thanks (Smile)
 
mathlearn said:
$$sin(θ)= \frac{BL}{3 km}$$

sin(θ) * 3 km = BL , Correct ?

Many Thanks (Smile)

Yes: $$\overline{BL}=3\sin(\theta)\text{ km}$$

Can you find $\theta$ so that you can get a numeric value for $\overline{BL}$
 
Many Thanks :)

How ? Can you help me . I'm unable to find $$\theta$$

Many Thanks :)
 
Do you see how the $40^{\circ}$ angle in the diagram is repeated and within the $110^{\circ}$ angle?
 
Then $$\angle $$BAL =110-40=70 degrees $$\therefore$$

sin 70 = $$\frac{BL}{3 km}$$

By referring to the sine table sin 70 = 9.9730

9.9730 = $$\frac{BL}{3 km}$$

9.9730 x 3 km = BL

29.9190 km = BL

and thereafter AB should be found should I use the Pythagoras theorem?

Many Thanks (Smile)
 
Last edited:
Yes, good! (Yes) (but watch the decimal point!)

I think I would wait until the end though to plug in for the trig. functions (this way we can round one time)...for now I would simply state:

$$\overline{BL}=3\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)\text{ km}$$

We know this represents a real number...but we don't need to throw a rounded version of it into the mix yet.

Now, can you, in a similar way, find $\overline{AB}$? Notice that $\overline{AB}$ is adjacent to $\theta$, and you know the hypotenuse (it was given)...which trig. function relates the leg in a right triangle adjacent to an angle and the hypotenuse?
 
cos 70= $$\frac{AL}{AB}$$

cos 70 = sin(90 -70)
= sin 20

sin 20= $$\frac{AL}{AB}$$

Referring to the trigonometric table,

9.5341= $$\frac{AL}{AB}$$

9.5341 x 3 km = AB

28.6023 km = AB

Found It (Smile). Note: These values seem bigger much when compared to the hypotenuse of 3 km.

Many Thanks (Smile)
 
  • #10
Yes, your values are 10 times too big, because you have the decimal point in the wrong place. :D

I would write:

$$\overline{AB}=3\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)\text{ km}$$

So, now we have:

$$\overline{HB}=\left(4.5+3\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)\right)\text{ km}$$

And we earlier found:

$$\overline{BL}=3\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)\text{ km}$$

Now, let's label:

$$\alpha=\angle {BHL}$$

We know the sides opposite and adjacent to $\alpha$...what trig. function can we use here?
 
  • #11
Many Thanks :),

The trig. function would be tan = $$\frac{adjacent side}{opposite side}$$
= $$\frac{3sin(θ) km }{(4.5+3cos(70∘))}$$


Correct?

Many Thanks (Smile)
 
  • #12
mathlearn said:
Many Thanks :),

The trig. function would be tan = $$\frac{adjacent side}{opposite side}$$
= $$\frac{3sin(θ) km }{(4.5+3cos(70∘))}$$


Correct?

Many Thanks (Smile)

Well, the definition is:

$$\text{tangent}\equiv\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}$$

Now, with regards to $\alpha$, the adjacent side is:

$$\overline{HB}=\left(4.5+3\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)\right)\text{ km}$$

and the opposite side is:

$$\overline{BL}=3\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)\text{ km}$$

Hence:

$$\tan(\alpha)=\frac{3\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)\text{ km}}{\left(4.5+3\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)\right)\text{ km}}=\frac{2\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)}{3+2\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)}$$

Okay, now use your table to get the most accurate value for $\tan(\alpha)$, and then you can use your table to find the angle closest to that value for the tangent function. :)
 
  • #13
Can you explain a little on how did $$\frac{(4.5+3cos(70∘)) km}{3sin(70∘) km} $$ become $$\frac{3+2cos(70∘)}{2sin(70∘)}$$

Tan $$\theta$$ = $$\frac{3+2cos(70∘)}{2sin(70∘)}$$

cos 70 = sin(90-70) = sin 20
= $$\frac{3+2 sin(20∘)}{2 sin(70∘)}$$

= $$\frac{3+2 (9.5341)}{2 (9.9730)}$$
= $$\frac{3+19.0682}{19.946}$$
= $$\frac{22.0682}{19.946}$$

Correct ?

Many Thanks :)
 
  • #14
mathlearn said:
Can you explain a little on how did $$\frac{(4.5+3cos(70∘)) km}{3sin(70∘) km} $$ become $$\frac{3+2cos(70∘)}{2sin(70∘)}$$

Tan $$\theta$$ = $$\frac{3+2cos(70∘)}{2sin(70∘)}$$

cos 70 = sin(90-70) = sin 20
= $$\frac{3+2 sin(20∘)}{2 sin(70∘)}$$

= $$\frac{3+2 (9.5341)}{2 (9.9730)}$$
= $$\frac{3+19.0682}{19.946}$$
= $$\frac{22.0682}{19.946}$$

Correct ?

Many Thanks :)

If you multiply all those coefficients by 2/3, you get all integral coefficients...necessary? No...nicer to look at? Yes. :D

You are still using values that are ten times too large for the trig. functions...
 
  • #15
Hi,

Would you be kind enough to demonstrate please.Why are the numbers still too large for the trig? And what should I do now?

Many Thanks (Smile);
 
Last edited:
  • #16
Okay, we have:

$$\tan(\alpha)=\frac{3\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)\text{ km}}{\left(4.5+3\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)\right)\text{ km}}=\frac{2\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)}{3+2\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)}$$

Using my computer, I find:

$$\sin\left(70^{\circ}\right)\approx0.9397$$

$$\cos\left(70^{\circ}\right)\approx0.3420$$

You see, we should keep in mind that both cosine and sine will never have a magnitude greater than 1...can you image a right triangle in which one of the legs is longer than the hypotenuse?

Can you now (using values from your table) get an approximation for $\tan(\alpha)$?
 
  • #17
Hi,
I think you multiply twice 0.9397 and twice 0.3420 +3 and divide .

then i get 1.960200063850165 but the problem is the value is greater than one.

Many Thanks (Smile)
 
  • #18
Using the values I gave for the sine and cosine of 70 degrees, I get:

$$\tan(\alpha)\approx0.5102$$

Check your division...the denominator is larger than the numerator, so you should get a value less than 1.

However, the tangent function isn't limited in its magnitude like sine and cosine. We just happen to have a value whose magnitude is smaller than 1 in this case.

What do you get when you divide again?
 
  • #19
Hi,

I'm sorry I have divided the wrong way the denominator from the numerator by doing it the correct way I get
tan(α)≈0.5102 and by referring to the trigonometric tables I get the angle as 27 degrees and 07 minutes. Many Thanks for the tremendous effort , dedication and patience of yours. :) (Smile)

Many Thanks (Smile)
 
  • #20
Using the inverse tangent function, I find:

$$\alpha\approx27.0285^{\circ}$$, so that sounds about right. (Yes)
 
  • #21
Thank you very much again!
 

Similar threads

Back
Top