Problems on Laws of Sines and Cosines
Mathematics has played an essential role in the design of many new technologies, such as the Large Hadron Collider, Global Positioning System (GPS), aerial photography, and navigation systems. These new technologies were made possible through mathematical concepts such as angles, triangles, laws of Sines and Cosines, vectors, and complex numbers. The laws of sines and cosines can be applied to the following:
- Aerial photography
- Locating a ship
- Airplane navigation
- Finding heights of helicopters, hot air balloons, or towers
Now, think of a real-life example where the law of sines or cosines is applicable.
- In a few sentences, describe how the laws are applicable to your selected example.
- Draw an oblique triangle representing the application.
- Show the given angle(s) and length of the known side(s).
- Explain which law you will use to calculate the unknown values and why. (Hint: Use word problems from the exercise sets of your text for ideas.)