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Solution of Triangles Study Material for IIT JEE | askIITians

Home Study Material IIT JEE Mathematics Trigonometry Properties and Solution of Triangles
Solution of Triangles

Solution of Triangles

Trigonometry

In a triangle ABC, the vertices and the angles are denoted by capital

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letters and the sides by small letters.

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In the figure given below, the sides opposite to angles A, B, C are

denoted by a, b, c respectively. The area of the triangle is denoted by S

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Basic Formulae and Results:

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Some of the basic trigonometry formulae depicting the relationship

between the sides and angles of a triangle are listed below:

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Sine rule
This rule states that the sides of any triangle are proportional to the
sines of the angle opposite to them in ?ABC, i.e.
a/ sin A = b/ sin B = c/ sin C

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Note:
The rule can further be expressed as (sin A)/a = (sin B)/b = (sin C)/c
The rule is extremely useful for expressing the sides of a triangle in
terms of sines of angle or vice versa as per the requirement of the
question. Hence, for the form a/ sin A = b/ sin B = c/ sin C = k, we
have,

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a = k sin A, b = k sin B, c = k sin C

and for (sin A)/a = (sin B)/b = (sin C)/c = l, we have
sin A = la, sin B = lb, sin C = lc

Cosine rule
In any triangle ABC, the following results hold good:

Solved Examples of
Solution of Traingle
Solved Examples
on Solution of
Triangles...

cos A = (b 2 + c2 - a2)/2ac
cos B = (a2 + c2 - b 2)/2ac
2

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Circles Connected
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cos C =

(a2

b2

c2)/2ab

With Triangle

Note: In case

Circles Connected
With Triangle

A = 60, then b 2 + c2 - a2 = bc

Solution of...

B = 60, then a2 + c2 - b 2 = ac

C = 60, then a2 + b 2 - c2 = ab

Trigonometric ratios of half-angles:

sin A/2 = (s-b) (s-c)/bc
sin B/2 = (s-b) (s-c)/bc

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sin C/2 = (s-a) (s-b)/ab

cos A/2 = s(s - a)/bc
cos B/2 = s(s - b)/ca

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cos C/2 = s(s - c)/ab

tan A/2 = (s - b) (s - c)/s(s - a)
tan B/2 = (s - c) (s - a)/s(s - b)
tan C/2 = (s - a) (s - b)/s(s - c)

Projection rule:
a = b cosC + c cosB
b = c cosA + a cosC
c = a cosB + b cosA

Semi-perimeter of the triangle

If s is assumed to be the perimeter of the triangle then s = a + b + c / 2

Area of a triangle

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If is the area of the triangle ABC then

= 1/2 bc sin A = 1/2 ca sin B = 1/2ab sin C
= s(s - a) (s - b) (s - c), this is also called as the Heros Formula
= (a2 sin B sin C)/ 2 sin (B + C) = (b 2 sin C sin A)/ 2 sin (A + C) = (c2
sin A sin B)/ 2 sin (A + B)

Some illustrations based on these formulae

Illustration:
Find out the length of x in the figure given below

Solution:
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Solution:
Whenever we need to find the length of a side, a different sort of sine
formula is used which simplifies the calculation of length:
Using the result, a/sin A = b/ sin B
Here, a = 7, b = x, A = 60, B = 80
7/ sin (60)) = x / sin (80)
Multiplying both sides by sin (80) for simplification we get
(7/sin (60)) sin (80) = x
Hence, on simplification we get
x = 7.96, hence this is the required length.

Illustration:
Find the missing side in the diagram below:

Solution:
Here, we will have to apply the cosine formula.
a2 = b 2 + c2 - 2bc cos A
Hence substituting the values we get,
h2 = 882 + 1462 288146cos 53
h2 = 13595.761.
For more clarification, refer the video

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Some vital trigonometry theorems associated

with solution of triangles:
Napiers analogy
In any triangle ABC, the following results hold good:
tan (B C)/2 = (b c)/(b +c) cot A/2
tan (C A)/2 = (c a)/(c + a)cot B/2
tan (A B)/2 = (a b) /(a + b) cot c/2
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tan (A B)/2 = (a b) /(a + b) cot c/2

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m-n theorem

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If D be the point on the side BC of a triangle ABC which divides the side
BC in the ratio m: n, then with respect to the figure given below, we
have:

(m + n) cot = m cot n cot .

(m + n) cot = n cot B m cot C.

Apollonius theorem
Consider a triangle ABC. As depicted in the figure given below, D is the
median through A.

Then AB2 + AC2 = 2(AD2 + BD2).

Process of Solution of Triangles:

A triangle is known completely if the three sides and angles are known.
These constitute the elements of the triangle. Thus, if we have any
three elements of a triangle (other than the three sides) say two sides
and the included angle or alike then we can easily find the rest of the
elements using the various formulae. Hence the triangle is known
completely and this process is called the solution of triangles.
We list below the various ways of preceding a given problem when
some elements are unknown:
If the three sides a, b, c are given, angle A is obtained from
tan A/2 = (s - b) (s - c)/s(s - a) or cos A = b 2 + c2 - a2 / 2bc.
B and C can be obtained in the similar way.
The cosine formula should be used only when a, b and c are small
numbers.
If two sides b and c and the included angle A are given, then
tan (B C)/2 = (b c)/ (b + c) cot A/2 gives (B C)/2.

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Also B + C/2 = 90o - A/2, so that B and C can be evaluated. The third
side is given by a = b sin A/sin B or a2 = b 2 + c2 2bc cos A.
If two sides b and c and the angle B (opposite to side b) are given,
o

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then sin C = c/b sin B, A = 180o (B + C) and b = b sin A/sin B give

the remaining elements.
If b < c sin B, there is no triangle possible (Fig. 1)
If b = c sin B and B is an acute angle, then only one triangle is possible
(Fig. 2)
If c sin B < b < c and B is an acute angle, then there are two values of
angle C (Fig. 3).
If c < b and B is an acute angle, then there is only one triangle (Fig. 4).
This is, sometimes, called an ambiguous case.

Alternative Method:
By applying cosine rule, we have cos B = a2 + c2 - b 2/2ac
a2 (2c cos B) a + (c2 b 2) = 0

a = c cos B + (C cos B)2 - (c2 - b 2)

a = c cos B + b 2 - (c sin B)2.

This equation leads to the following cases:

Case I
If b < c sin B, no triangle is possible.
Case II
Let b = c sin B. There are further the following cases:
(a) B is an obtuse angle
cos B is negative. There exists no such triangle.
(b) B is an acute angle

cos B is positive. There exists only one triangle.

Case III

Let b < c sin B. We have the following cases:

B is an acute angle cos B is positive. In this case two values exist if
and only if c cos B > b 2 - (c sin B)2 or
c > b Two triangles are possible.

If c < b, only one triangle is possible.

B is an obtuse angle cos B is negative. In this case triangle will

exist if and only if b 2 - (c sin B)2 > c cos B b > c. So in this case
only one triangle is possible.

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If b < c there exists no triangle.

If one side a and angles B and C are given, then A = 180o (B + C), and
b = a sin B/sin A, c = a sin C/sin A .
If the three angles A, B, C are given, we can only find the ratios of the
sides a, b, c by using the sine rule (since there are infinite similar
triangles possible).

You might like to refer some of the related resources

listed below:
Look into the Revision Notes on Solution of Triangles for a quick
revision.
Various Recommended Books of Mathematics are just a click away.
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