THE LAW OF COSINES

Proof of the Law of Cosines

WE USE THE LAW OF COSINES AND THE LAW OF SINES to solve triangles that are not right-angled.
Such triangles are called oblique triangles. The Law of Cosines is used much more widely than the Law
of Sines. Specifically, when we know two sides of a triangle and their included angle, then the Law of
Cosines enables us to find the third side.

Thus if we know sides a and b and their included angle , then the Law of Cosines states:
c = a + b 2ab cos
(The Law of Cosines is a extension of the Pythagorean theorem; because if were a right
angle, we would have c = a + b.)
Example 1. In triangle DEF, side e = 8 cm, f = 10 cm, and the angle at D is 60. Find side d.

Solution.. We know two sides and their included angle. Therefore, according to the Law of Cosines,
d = e + f 2ef cos 60
d = 8 + 10 2 8 10 , since cos 60 = ,
d = 164 80
d = 84.
d = .
Problem 1. In the oblique triangle ABC, find side b if side a = 5 cm,c = cm, and they include and
angle of 45. No Tables.

b = a + c 2ac cos 45
= 5 + ( ) 2 5 cos 45
= 25 + 2 10 , since cos 45 = ,
= 25 + 2 10, ( = 2)
= 17.
b = cm.
Problem 2. In the oblique triangle PQR, find side r if side p = 5 in,q = 10 in, and they include and
angle of 14. (Table)

r = 5 + 10 2 5 10 cos 14
= 25 + 100 100(.970), from the Table.
= 125 97
= 28.
r = in.
Example 2. In Example 1, we found that d = , which is approximately 9.17.

Use the Law of Sines to complete the solution of triangle DEF. That is, find angles E and F.
Solution. To find angle F, we have this version of
Unknown
Known
:
sin F
sin D
=
f
d


sin F
sin 60
=
10
9.17


sin F = (.866)
10
9.17
from the Table,



.944 with the aid of a calculator.


Therefore, on inspecting the Table for the angle whose sine is closest to .944,
Angle F 71.
And therefore
Angle E = 180 (71 + 60)

= 180 131

= 49.
And so using the Laws of Sines and Cosines, we have completely solved the triangle.
The Law of Cosines is valid when the included angle is obtuse. But in that
case, the cosine is negative. SeeTopic 15.
Proof of the Law of Cosines
Let ABC be a triangle with sides a, b, c. We will show
c = a + b 2ab cos C.
(The trigonometric functions are defined in terms of a right-
angled triangle. Therefore it is only with the aid of right-angled
triangles that we can prove anything )
Draw BD perpendicular to CA, separating triangle ABC into the
two right triangles BDC, BDA. BD is the height h of triangle ABC.
Call CD x. Then DA is the whole b minus the segment x: b x.
Also, since
x
a
= cos C,
then
x = a cos C . . . . . . . (1)
Now, in the right triangle BDC, according to the Pythagorean theorem,
h + x = a,
so that
h = a x. . . . . . (2)
In the right triangle BDA,
c = h + (b x)
c = h + b 2bx + x.
(The square of a binomial)
For h, let us substitute line (2):
c = a x + b 2bx + x
c = a + b 2bx.
Finally, for x, let us substitute line (1):
c = a + b 2b a cos C.
That is,
c = a + b 2ab cos C.
This is what we wanted to prove.
In the same way, we could prove that
a = b + c 2bc cos A
and
b = a + c 2ac cos B.
This is the Law of Cosines.



THE LAW OF SINES
Statement of the law of sines
The sine of an obtuse angle
The ambiguous case
Proof of the law of sines

This is a topic in traditional trigonometry. It does not come up in calculus.
THE LAW OF SINES allows us to solve triangles that are not right-angled, and are called oblique
triangles. It states the following:
The sides of a triangle are to one another
in the same ratio as the sines of their opposite angles.

a : b : c = sin A : sin B : sin C.
Specifically, side a is to side b as the sine of angle A is to the sine of angle B.
a
b
=
sin A
sin B
.
Similarly,
b
c
=
sin B
sin C
.
And so on, for any pair of sides and their opposite angles.
The law of sines is a theorem about the geometry of any triangle. As any
theorem of geometry, it can beenunciated. The algebraic statement of the law
--
sin A
a
=
sin B
b
=
sin C
c
-- cannot be verbalized. sin A moreover, which is a number, does not have a
ratio to a, which is a length.
Secondly, to prove that algebraic form, it is necessary to state and prove it
correctly geometrically, and then transform it algebraically.
Example 1. a) The three angles of a triangle are 40, 75, and 65. In what ratio are the three
sides? Sketch the figure and place the ratio numbers.
Solution. To find the ratios of the sides, we must evaluate the sines of their opposite angles. From
the Table,
sin 40 = .643
sin 75 = .966
sin 65 = .906
These are the ratios of the sides opposite those angles:

Notice that we may express the ratios as ratios of whole numbers; we may ignore the decimal
points. Why? Because we have multiplied each side by the same number, namely 1000. (The
theorem of the same multiple.)
b) When the side opposite the 75 angle is 10 cm, how long is the side opposite the 40 angle?

Solution. Let us call that side x. Now, according to the Law of Sines, in every triangle with those
angles, the sides are in the ratio 643 : 966 : 906. Therefore,
x
10
=
643
966
x = 10
643
966
With the aid of a calculator,
x 6.656 cm.
Problem 1. The three angles of a triangle are A = 30, B = 70, and C = 80.
a) In what ratio are the three sides? Sketch the triangle and place those ratio numbers. (Table)
To see the answer, pass your mouse over the colored area.
To cover the answer again, click "Refresh" ("Reload").

sin 30 = .500
sin 70 = .940
sin 80 = .985



b) If side a = 5 cm, find sides b and c.
In every triangle with those angles, the sides are in the ratio 500 : 940 : 985. But the side
corresponding to 500 has been divided by 100. Therefore, each side will be divided by
100. Side b will equal 9.4 cm, and side c = 9.85 cm.
The sine of an obtuse angle
The trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, etc.) are defined in a right triangle in terms of
an acute angle. What, then, shall we mean by the sine of an obtuse angle ABC?

The sine of an obtuse angle is defined to be the sine of itssupplement.
For example,
sin 120 = sin 60 =

2
.
(Topic 5.)
To see why we make this definition, let ABC be an obtuse angle, and

draw CD perpendicular to AB extended.
Then we define the sine of angle ABC as follows:
sin ABC =
CD
CB
.
But that is the sine of angle CBD -- opposite-over-hypotenuse. And angle CBD is
the supplement of angle ABC. So, by the sine of an obtuse angle we mean the sine of its
supplement.
For example,

sin 110 = sin (180 110)
= sin 70
= .940, from the Table.
Problem 1. Evaluate the following:
a) sin 135 = sin 45 = (Topic 4, Example 1)
b) sin 127 = sin (180 127) = sin 53 = .799
(From the Table)
Problem 2.
a) The three angles of a triangle are 105, 25, and 50. In what ratio are
a) the sides? Sketch the triangle.
sin 105 = sin (180 - 105)
= sin 75
= .966, from the Table.

sin 25 = .423

sin 50 = .766
Therefore, the sides opposite those angles are in the ratio
966 : 423 : 766

b) If the side opposite 25 is 10 cm, how long is the side opposite 50?

x
10
=
766
423
.
With the aid of a calculator, this implies:
x = 10
766
423

18.1 cm
The ambiguous case
The so-called ambiguous case arises from the fact that an acute angle and an obtuse angle have
the same sine. If we had to solve
sin x = ,
for example, we would have
x = 45 or x = 135.
(Topic 4, Example 1.)
In the following example, we will see how this ambiguity could arise.

In triangle ABC, angle A = 30, side a = 1.5 cm, and side b = 2 cm. Let us use the law of sines
to find angle B.
sin B
sin 30
=
2
1.5

Since sin 30 = (Topic 5, Example 2),
sin B =
20
15
=
10
15
=
2
3


.666
On inspecting the Table for the angle whose sine is closest to .666, we find
B 42.
But the sine of an angle is equal to the sine of its supplement. That is, .666 is also the sine of
180 42 = 138.
This problem has two solutions. Not only is angle CBA a solution,

but so is angle CB'A, which is the supplement of angle CBA. (We can see that it is the supplement by
looking at the isosceles triangle CB'B; angle CB'A is the supplement of angle CB'B, which is equal to
angleCBA.)
Given two sides of a triangle a, b, then, and the acute angle opposite one of them, say angle A,
under what conditions will the triangle have two solutions, only one solution, or no solution?

Let us first consider the case a < b. Upon applying the law of sines, we arrive at this equation:
1) sin B = sin A
b
a
.
Now, since
h
b
= sin A , where h is the height of the triangle (Fig. 1),
then
b sin A = h.
On replacing this in the right-hand side of equation 1), it becomes
sin B =
h
a
.
There are now three possibilities:

h
a
< 1, which implies h < a (Fig. 1),
h
a
= 1, which implies h = a (Fig. 2),
h
a
> 1, which implies h > a (Fig. 3).
In the first of these -- h or b sin A < a -- there will be two triangles.
In the second -- h or b sin A = a -- there will be one right-angled triangle.
And in the third -- h or b sin A > a -- there will be no solution.
Example 2. Let a = 2 cm, b = 6 cm, and angle A = 60. How many solutions are there for angle B?
Answer. We must calculate b sin A. If it is less than a, there will be two solutions. If it is equal to a,
there will be one solution. And if it is greater than a, there will be no solution.
Now, sin 60 =

2
. (Topic 5.) Therefore,
b sin A = 6

2
=
3
.
Since a = 2, then b sin A > a. ( 1.732).
There is no solution.

Finally, we will consider the case in which angle A is acute, and a > b.

In this case, there is only one solution, namely, the angle B in triangle CBA. For, in
triangle CAB', the angle CAB' is obtuse.
Problem 3. In each of the following, find the number of solutions.
a) Angle A = 45, a = , b = 2.
Since < 2, this is the case a < b. sin 45 = /2. Therefore, b sin A = 2 /2 = ,
which is equal to a. There is therefore one solution: angle B is a right angle.
b) Angle A = 45, a = 1.8, b = 2.
Again, a < b. b sin A = 2 /2 = , which is less than a. Therefore
there are two solutions.
c) Angle A = 45, a = 2, b = 1.5.
Here, a > b. Therefore there is one solution.
d) Angle A = 45, a = 1.4, b = 2.
a < b. b sin A = 2 /2 = , which is greater than a. Therefore there
are no solutions.
Proof of the law of sines
The sides of a triangle are to one another in the same ratio as the sines
of their opposite angles.
Since the trigonometric functions are defined in terms of a right-angled triangle, then it is only
with the aid of right-angled triangles that we can prove anything
In triangle ABC, then, draw CD perpendicular to AB. Then CD is the height h of the triangle. The
height now separates triangle ABC into two right triangles, CDA and CDB.
We will now show that
sin A
sin B
=
a
b
.
Now, in triangle CDA,
sin A =
h
b
.
While in triangle CDB,
sin B =
h
a
.
Therefore,
sin A
sin B
=
h/b
h/a
=
h
b

a
h
=
a
b
.
This is what we wanted to prove.
In the same way, we could prove that
sin B
sin C
=
b
c
and so on, for any pair of angles and their opposite sides.