Table of contents
- 0. Review of College Algebra4h 43m
- 1. Measuring Angles39m
- 2. Trigonometric Functions on Right Triangles2h 5m
- 3. Unit Circle1h 19m
- 4. Graphing Trigonometric Functions1h 19m
- 5. Inverse Trigonometric Functions and Basic Trigonometric Equations1h 41m
- 6. Trigonometric Identities and More Equations2h 34m
- 7. Non-Right Triangles1h 38m
- 8. Vectors2h 25m
- 9. Polar Equations2h 5m
- 10. Parametric Equations1h 6m
- 11. Graphing Complex Numbers1h 7m
7. Non-Right Triangles
Law of Cosines
Problem 7.63
Textbook Question
Find the exact area of each triangle using the formula 𝓐 = ½ bh, and then verify that Heron's formula gives the same result.
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1
Identify the base (b) and height (h) of the triangle from the given image. The base is typically one side of the triangle, and the height is the perpendicular distance from this base to the opposite vertex.
Apply the area formula for a triangle, \( A = \frac{1}{2} bh \), by substituting the values of base and height that you identified.
To use Heron's formula, first calculate the semi-perimeter of the triangle, which is half the sum of all three sides, \( s = \frac{a+b+c}{2} \), where a, b, and c are the lengths of the sides of the triangle.
Apply Heron's formula: \( A = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)} \), where s is the semi-perimeter calculated in the previous step, and a, b, and c are the side lengths of the triangle.
Compare the area obtained from the basic area formula \( \frac{1}{2} bh \) with the area obtained from Heron's formula to verify if they give the same result.
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