Solving for unknown in arccos equation help?

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The discussion revolves around solving the equation THETA = arccos(1 - 0.005a) for the variable 'a'. Participants suggest taking the cosine of both sides to manipulate the equation, while emphasizing the importance of understanding domain and range restrictions. The original poster mentions that their problem is part of a larger engineering question, complicating the context. Guidance is provided on isolating 'x' in a related equation by manipulating the terms appropriately. Overall, the conversation focuses on algebraic techniques to rearrange equations for solving unknowns.
calky117
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I need help with the following, is it possible to get the below equation into a form like:

THETA = 30a

or somehow get the 'a' on the left hand side?

Equation:

THETA = arccos(1 - 0.005a)Those aren't the exact numbers/arrangement I'm working with but any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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calky117 said:
I need help with the following, is it possible to get the below equation into a form like:

THETA = 30a

or somehow get the 'a' on the left hand side?

Equation:

THETA = arccos(1 - 0.005a)


Those aren't the exact numbers/arrangement I'm working with but any help would be greatly appreciated.

It would be better if you posted the original problem instead of using numbers and/or an arrangement that isn't exact. Are you trying to solve for a? If so, as long as you're mindful of the domain/range restrictions, why can't you take the cosine of both sides?
 
Sorry it is a bit hard to post the entire problem as this is only part of quite a large engineering question.

Photo 10-08-11 10 15 49 PM (HDR).jpeg


From the above the unknown is 'x' which is what I want to solve for (again I have skipped out a lot of the working that is irrelevant to you).

If I substitute in THETA to the area 'A' equation then put that into the equation on the bottom I get a huge awful looking equation, only the one unknown but I just don't know how to solve for it. Any guidance please?
 
You're starting with cos(\theta/2) = (150 - .77x)/150.
You solved for \theta/2, but didn't solve for x.

To isolate x (i.e., solve for x), multiply both sides of the original equation by 150. Then add -150 to both sides. Finally, divide both sides by -.77 to get x all by itself.
 

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