21st Century Math Projects

Project Title: Cell Phone Triangulation

Standard Focus: Geometry & Spatial Sense,
Time Range: 3-5 Days
Measurement
Supplies: Rulers, Protractor
Topics of Focus:
-

Law of Sines & Cosines

Indirect Measurement

Benchmarks:
Similarity, Right Triangles,
and Trigonometry

G-SRT

11. (+) Understand and apply the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to find
unknown measurements in right and non-right triangles (e.g., surveying problems,
resultant forces).

Procedures:
A.) Student will complete Triangulation. In this assignment, students will practice sketching diagrams and
will attempt Law of Sines and Law of Cosines problems with three different initial conditions.
***Students will be challenged with using the navigational directions such as 10 degrees west of north. It is
worth sketching a few of these to practice first. This skill will be in each of the assignments and needs to be
mastered.
B.) Students will complete Forensics. Students will engage in higher order thinking to develop strategies
for using fictitious cell phone data. With each problem, students are asked to look at cell phone records (the
actual conditions are similar to the Triangulation problems). Students will need to determine the locations
of the cell phones using the Law of Sines and Law of Cosines. The two problems are slightly different
because the cell phone towers are horizontal in one example and vertical in the other.
C.) Students will then complete Catch the Suspect which will ask them to analyze the cell phone records of
4 suspects. Students will compare the locations of the phones with the known locations of the crimes.
Students will use their results to determine which suspect is most likely to have committed the crime. Note
the different scale of the graphs. This will affect the responses if it is not accounted for. This graph also
includes four total towers which will challenge students to flexibly think vertically and horizontally.
On the Analysis page students are asked to articulate their evidence in a paragraph response.

21st Century Math Projects

As the world becomes increasingly reliant on mobile technology, we have never

been more connected. As a cell phone searches for a signal, its location is
pinpointed and coordinated across a number of applications. Your precise
location is used on a Google Map or even Facebook. Cell towers can determine
how strong a signal is to a specific phone (i.e. how far away the phone is from
the tower) and the general direction the phone is from the tower. The Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines
can be used in these cases to get a better sense of where an individual phone may be located.
In each of these problems, information is relayed from two cell towers
(the western and the eastern), but there is missing information that is
needed. These towers are along the same theoretical horizontal line as
seen on the right. (CAUTION: Be careful when reading the angles. If a direction is
given like 5o east of north, then that would mean 85o on the traditional protractor with
a theoretical horizontal)
1.

Two Directions. The western and eastern cell towers are 10 miles apart. From the western cell

2.

One Direction, One Distance. The distance between two cell towers is 42 miles. From the

3.

Two Distances. The distance between the two towers is 38 miles. From the western cell tower a

tower, a phone signal is 10o north of east. From the eastern cell tower, the signal is 20o west of north.
How far away is the cell phone from each of the towers? Sketch a diagram.

western cell tower, a phone signal is 20o north of east and is 48 miles away, how far is this cell phone
from the eastern cell tower? Sketch a diagram.

phone is 21 miles away and from the eastern cell tower the same phone is 52 miles away. Determine
the angles and the directions from each of the cell towers. Sketch a diagram.

21st Century Math Projects

In the present, important ethical questions about surveillance are being asked. The
idea that people can be watched at any time is highly controversial. However, some
agree that there are some avenues where this could be a good thing.
The world of forensics is glamorized on TV shows like CSI and often is associated with dissecting a crime scene,
combing for hair samples and swabbing for a trace of DNA. In the tech era, mobile devices are used as forensics
evidence in court. Since mobile phones can be tracked at all times, proving that a suspect was at a certain
location at a certain time has become more scientific. To date, thousands of criminal cases have been proven
with forensic cell phone evidence. Some in law enforcement are optimistic that advances in technology may
mean that at some point there could be a fool proof system where criminal cannot get away with a crime.
In this assignment you must use the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to determine where a cell phone
travels based on its records. (Please Note: since the world is a sphere and not a plane, this activity is only a
simulation and a more simplified version of what professionals actually do.)

The map on the left is a 400 mi2 snapshot of a state where four
counties converge. Cell Phone Towers A and B are 20 miles apart.

Records for Cell Phone 555-2640

9:12

Tower A

Tower B

Unknown

7.68 miles away

23o North of West

10:36 7.28 miles away 19.28 miles away

Solve for the missing sides and angles and use a protractor to sketch the triangle.
9:12

10:36

1a) How far away was the phone from Tower A?

1b) Describe the location of the phone from Tower

B in terms of its angle.

2a) What county was the phone in at 9:12?

2b) What county was the phone in at 10:36?

21st Century Math Projects

The map on the right is a 100 m2 look at the local mall.

Cell Phone Towers A and B are 20 meters apart.

Records for Cell Phone 555-0518

Tower A
12 meters away

Tower B

2:58 48.6o West of South

Unknown

3:12 19.2o West of South

19.5o North of
West

3:55

10 meters away

29.7o East of North

Solve for the missing sides and angles and use a protractor to sketch the triangle.
2.58

3.12

1a) How far away was the phone

from Tower B?

1b) How far away was the phone

from Tower A?

1c) Describe the location of the

phone from Tower A in terms of
its angle.

2a) What store was this phone in

at 2:58?

2b) What store was this phone in

at 3:12?

2c) What store was this phone in

at 3:55?

3.55

3. Describe a possible route of this shopper during this time at the mall.

21st Century Math Projects

A serial crime spree has rocked a university campus. Robberies occurred at a number of
places from 1:00AM to 1:40AM. Based on a preliminary investigation police know that it was just one person
who committed all the crimes. They have compiled a list of four suspects and have secured search warrants
to seize their cell phone records. They hope that these records will determine the identity of the guilty party.
Please Note that since the world is a sphere and not a plane, this activity is only a simulation and a more
simplified version of what professionals actually use. In this assignment you must use the Law of Sines
and Law of Cosines to determine where a cell phone was located based on its records. Below is a map
of 16,000,000 ft2 of campus. Stars denote the four locations that reported a robbery.

21st Century Math Projects

Tower C

Tower D

----

----

50.71o
East of
North

1948.76
feet away

1:10

----

41.2o
West of
South

----

3623.57
feet away

1:20

----

1450 feet
away

----

5.2o
South of East

6.58o
South of
West

34.44o
North of
West

----

----

----

3827.6
feet away

----

62.9o
North of
East

1:40

1:00

Tower B

1:30

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone

1:00
1:10
1:20
1:30
1:40
21st Century Math Projects

Tower B

Tower C

Tower D

1:00

----

28.3o
North of
West

----

1935.5
feet away

1:10

1321.3
feet away

1667.4
feet away

----

----

1:20

----

----

1473.1
feet away

1559.12
feet away

----

2103.1
feet away

----

4o
North of
East

----

17.9o
North of
West

----

41.1o
North of
East

1:40

1:30

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone

1:00
1:10
1:20
1:30
1:40
21st Century Math Projects

Tower C

Tower D

----

----

6.3o
East of
North

730
feet away

----

66.2o
South of
West

----

32o
South of
East

1:20

----

984.2
feet away

----

10o
South of
East

1:30

----

----

1423.9
feet away

1561.1
feet away

6.58o
South of
West

57.92o
West of
North

----

----

1:10

1:00

Tower B

1:40

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone

1:00
1:10
1:20
1:30
1:40
21st Century Math Projects

Tower B

Tower C

Tower D

3133.69
feet away

3571.06
feet away

----

----

1:10

----

19.85o
North of
West

----

17.1o
East of North

1:20

----

----

45o
North of East

1421.27
feet away

1:30

----

2278.83
feet away

----

28o
South of East

1:40

10o
West of
South

550.5
feet away

----

----

1:00

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone

1:00
1:10
1:20
1:30
1:40
21st Century Math Projects

Use the results of your cell phone forensics investigation to answer the
following questions.
1. Based on your analysis of the cell phone data are there any suspects that can be ruled out? Why or why
not?

2. After careful analysis of surveillance footage, it has been determined that the robbery at the Global
Studies Center occurred at 1:25. Does that affect the results of your investigation?

3. In a paragraph, use your research to determine which suspect is most likely to have committed the
crimes. Provide a detailed analysis in regards to why you believe one suspect is more likely than another.
You can provide an explanation why certain suspects may be ruled out.

21st Century Math Projects

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Boomdiggy.

21st Century Math Projects

As the world becomes increasingly reliant on mobile technology, we have never

been more connected. As a cell phone searches for a signal, its location is
pinpointed and coordinated across a number of applications. Your precise location
is used on a Google Map or even Facebook. Cell towers can determine how strong
a signal is to a specific phone (i.e. how far away the phone is from the tower) and
the general direction the phone is from the tower. The Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines can be used in these
cases to get a better sense of where an individual phone may be located.
In each of these problems, information is relayed from two cell towers (the
western and the eastern), but there is missing information that is needed.
These towers are along the same theoretical horizontal line as seen on the right.
(CAUTION: Be careful when reading the angles. If a direction is given like 5o east of north, then
that would mean 85o on the traditional protractor with a theoretical horizontal)

1. Two Directions. The western and eastern cell towers are 10 miles apart. From the western cell tower,
a phone signal is 10o north of east. From the eastern cell tower, the signal is 20o west of north. How far
away is the cell phone from each of the towers? Sketch a diagram.
9.54 iles from the Western Tower. 1.76 miles from the Eastern Tower.

2. One Direction, One Distance. The distance between two cell towers is 42 miles. From the western
cell tower, a phone signal is 20o north of east and is 48 miles away, how far is this cell phone from the
eastern cell tower? Sketch a diagram.
The phone is 16.7 miles from the Eastern Tower.

3. Two Distances. The distance between the two towers is 38 miles. From the western cell tower a
phone is 21 miles away and from the eastern cell tower the same phone is 52 miles away. Determine the
angles and the directions from each of the cell towers. Sketch a diagram.
One Example solution:
From the Western Tower it is 30.87 West of North.
From the Eastern Tower it is 20.28 North of West.

21st Century Math Projects

In the present, important ethical questions about surveillance are being asked. The
idea that people can be watched at any time is highly controversial. However, some
agree that there are some avenues where this could be a good thing.
The world of forensics is glamorized on TV shows like CSI and often is associated with dissecting a crime scene,
combing for hair samples and swabbing for a trace of DNA. In the tech era, mobile devices are used as forensics
evidence in court. Since mobile phones can be tracked at all times, proving that a suspect was at a certain location
at a certain time has become more scientific. To date, thousands of criminal cases have been proven with forensic
cell phone evidence. Some in law enforcement are optimistic that advances in technology may mean that at
some point there could be a fool proof system where criminal cannot get away with a crime.
In this assignment you must use the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to determine where a cell phone travels
based on its records. (Please Note: since the world is a sphere and not a plane, this activity is only a simulation and a
more simplified version of what professionals actually do.)

The map on the left is a 400 mi2 snapshot of a state where four
counties converge. Cell Phone Towers A and B are 20 miles apart.

Records for Cell Phone 555-2640

9:12

Tower A

Tower B

Unknown

7.68 miles away

23o North of West

10:36 7.28 miles away 19.28 miles away

Solve for the missing sides and angles and use a protractor to sketch the triangle.
9:12

1a) How far away was the phone from Tower A?

13.34 miles
2a) What county was the phone in at 9:12? Monroe

10:36

1b) Describe the location of the phone from Tower B

in terms of its angle.
21o South of West
2b) What county was the phone in at 10:36? Jackson
21st Century Math Projects

The map on the right is a 100 m2 look at the local mall.

Cell Phone Towers A and B are 20 meters apart.

Records for Cell Phone 555-0518

Tower A
12 meters away

Tower B

2:58 48.6o West of South

Unknown

3:12 19.2o West of South

19.5o North of
West

3:55

10 meters away

29.7 East of North

Solve for the missing sides and angles and use a protractor to sketch the triangle.
2.58

3.12

1a) How far away was the phone

from Tower B?
15.05 meters

1b) How far away was the phone

from Tower A?
18.97 meters

1c) Describe the location of the

phone from Tower A in terms of
its angle.
53.1o East of South

2a) What store was this phone in

at 2:58? Dust Collectors

2b) What store was this phone in

at 3:12? Swagg

2b) What store was this phone in

at 3:55? Infamous Footwear

3.55

3. Describe a possible route of this shopper during this time at the mall. The shopper started at Dust
Collectors then went to Swagg and ended up at Infamous Footwear.

21st Century Math Projects

A serial crime spree has rocked a university campus. Robberies occurred at a number
of places from 1:00AM to 1:40AM. Based on a preliminary investigation police know that it was just one person
who committed all the crimes. They have compiled a list of four suspects and have secured search warrants to
seize their cell phone records. They hope that these records will determine the identity of the guilty party.
Please Note that since the world is a sphere and not a plane, this activity is only a simulation and a more
simplified version of what professionals actually use. In this assignment you must use the Law of Sines and
Law of Cosines to determine where a cell phone was located based on its records. Below is a map of
16,000,000 ft2 of campus. Stars denote the four locations that reported a robbery.

21st Century Math Projects

Tower C

Tower D

----

----

50.71o
East of
North

1948.76
feet away

1:10

----

41.2o
West of
South

----

3623.57
feet away

1:20

----

1450 feet
away

----

5.2o
South of East

6.58o
South of
West

34.44o
North of
West

----

----

----

3827.6
feet away

----

62.9o
North of
East

1:40

1:00

Tower B

1:30

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone Approximations

1:00

Global Studies

1:10
1:20

Fine Arts Complex

1:30

Library

1:40

Campus Housing F

Medical Center

21st Century Math Projects

Tower B

Tower C

Tower D

1:00

----

28.3o
North of
West

----

1935.5
feet away

1:10

1321.3
feet away

1667.4
feet away

----

----

1:20

----

----

1473.1
feet away

1559.12
feet away

----

2103.1
feet away

----

4o
North of
East

----

17.9o
North of
West

----

41.1o
North of
East

1:40

1:30

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone Approximations

1:00
1:10

Around Campus House D or G

1:20
1:30

Global Studies

1:40

Food Hall

Stadium
Ampitheater

21st Century Math Projects

Tower C

Tower D

----

----

6.3o
East of
North

730
feet away

----

66.2o
South of
West

----

32o
South of
East

1:20

----

984.2
feet away

----

10o
South of
East

1:30

----

----

1423.9
feet away

1561.1
feet away

6.58o
South of
West

57.92o
West of
North

----

----

1:10

1:00

Tower B

1:40

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone Approximations

1:00
1:10

Student Union
STEM Building

1:20
1:30

Fine Arts Complex

1:40

Library

Global Studies

21st Century Math Projects

Tower B

Tower C

Tower D

3133.69
feet away

3571.06
feet away

----

----

1:10

----

19.85o
North of
West

----

17.1o
East of North

1:20

----

----

45o
North of East

1421.27
feet away

1:30

----

2278.83
feet away

----

28o
South of East

1:40

10o
West of
South

550.5
feet away

----

----

1:00

Tower A

Location of Cell Phone Approximations

1:00
1:10

Library
Campus Housing E

1:20
1:30

STEM Building

1:40

Medical Center

Global Studies

21st Century Math Projects

Use the results of your cell phone forensics investigation to answer the
following questions.
4.

Based on your analysis of the cell phone data are there any suspects that can be ruled out? Why or why
not?

Suspect Beta and Suspect Gamma were not at all of the robbery locations. If it is certain that is was a single criminal, then they
can likely be ruled out.

5.

After careful analysis of surveillance footage, it has been determined that the robbery at the Global
Studies Center occurred at 1:25. Does that affect the results of your investigation?

This would rule out suspect Alpha leaving Suspect Delta as the primary target.

6.

In a paragraph, use your research to determine which suspect is most likely to have committed the
crimes. Provide a detailed analysis in regards to why you believe one suspect is more likely than another.
You can provide an explanation why certain suspects may be ruled out.

All signs point to suspect Delta. Student answers will vary.

21st Century Math Projects