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DP IB Maths: AI SL Your notes

3.3 Trigonometry
Contents
3.3.1 Pythagoras & Right-Angled Trigonometry
3.3.2 Non Right-Angled Trigonometry
3.3.3 Applications of Trigonometry & Pythagoras

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3.3.1 Pythagoras & Right-Angled Trigonometry

Your notes
Pythagoras
What is the Pythagorean theorem?
Pythagoras’ theorem is a formula that works for right-angled triangles only
It states that for any right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the
squares of the two shorter sides
The hypotenuse is the longest side in a right-angled triangle
It will always be opposite the right angle
If we label the hypotenuse c, and label the other two sides a and b, then Pythagoras’ theorem tells
us that
a2 + b 2 = c2
The formula for Pythagoras’ theorem is assumed prior knowledge and is not in the formula booklet
You will need to remember it
How can we use Pythagoras’ theorem?
If you know two sides of any right-angled triangle you can use Pythagoras’ theorem to nd the length
of the third side
Substitute the values you have into the formula and either solve or rearrange
To nd the length of the hypotenuse you can use:
c= a2 + b 2
To nd the length of one of the other sides you can use:
a= c 2 − b 2 or b = c2 − a2
Note that when nding the hypotenuse you should add inside the square root and when nding one of
the other sides you should subtract inside the square root
Always check your answer carefully to make sure that the hypotenuse is the longest side
Note that Pythagoras’ theorem questions will rarely be standalone questions and will often be ‘hidden’
in other geometry questions
What is the converse of the Pythagorean theorem?
The converse of the Pythagorean theorem states that if a 2 + b 2 = c 2 is true then the triangle must
be a right-angled triangle
This is a very useful way of determining whether a triangle is right-angled
If a diagram in a question does not clearly show that something is right-angled, you may need to use
Pythagoras’ theorem to check

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Examiner Tip
Your notes
Pythagoras' theorem pops up in lots of exam questions so bear it in mind whenever you see a
right-angled triangle in an exam question!

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Worked example
Your notes
ABCDEF is a chocolate bar in the shape of a triangular prism. The end of the chocolate bar is an
isosceles triangle where AC = 3 cm and AB = BC = 5 cm. M is the midpoint of AC. This information is
shown in the diagram below.

Calculate the length BM.

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Your notes

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Right-Angled Trigonometry
What is Trigonometry? Your notes
Trigonometry is the mathematics of angles in triangles
It looks at the relationship between side lengths and angles of triangles
It comes from the Greek words trigonon meaning ‘triangle’ and metron meaning ‘measure’

What are Sin, Cos and Tan?

The three trigonometric functions Sine, Cosine and Tangent come from ratios of side lengths in right-
angled triangles
To see how the ratios work you must rst label the sides of a right-angled triangle in relation to a chosen
angle
The hypotenuse, H, is the longest side in a right-angled triangle
It will always be opposite the right angle
If we label one of the other angles θ, the side opposite θ will be labelled opposite, O, and the side
next to θ will be labelled adjacent, A
The functions Sine, Cosine and Tangent are the ratios of the lengths of these sides as follows
opposite O
Sin θ = =
hypotenuse H
adjacent A
Cos θ = =
hypotenuse H
opposite O
Tan θ = =
adjacent A
These are not in the formula book, you must remember them
The mnemonic SOHCAHTOA is often used as a way of remembering which ratio is which
Sin is Opposite over Hypotenuse
Cos is Adjacent over Hypotenuse
Tan is Opposite over Adjacent

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Your notes

How can we use SOHCAHTOA to nd missing lengths?

If you know the length of one of the sides of any right-angled triangle and one of the angles you can
use SOHCAHTOA to nd the length of the other sides
Always start by labelling the sides of the triangle with H, O and A
Choose the correct ratio by looking only at the values that you have and that you want
For example if you know the angle and the side opposite it (O) and you want to nd the
hypotenuse (H) you should use the sine ratio
Substitute the values into the ratio
Use your calculator to nd the solution

How can we use SOHCAHTOA to nd missing angles?

If you know two sides of any right-angled triangle you can use SOHCAHTOA to nd the size of one of
the angles
Missing angles are found using the inverse functions:

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O A O
θ = Sin−1 , θ = Cos−1 , θ = Tan −1
H H A Your notes
After choosing the correct ratio and substituting the values use the inverse trigonometric functions on
your calculator to nd the correct answer

Examiner Tip
You need to remember the sides involved in the di erent trig ratios as they are not given to you in
the exam

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Worked example
Your notes
Find the values of x and y in the following diagram. Give your answers to 3 signi cant gures.

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Your notes

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3D Problems
How does Pythagoras work in 3D? Your notes
3D shapes can often be broken down into several 2D shapes
With Pythagoras’ Theorem you will be speci cally looking for right-angled triangles
The right-angled triangles you need will have two known sides and one unknown side
Look for perpendicular lines to help you spot right-angled triangles
There is a 3D version of the Pythagorean theorem formula:
d 2 = x 2 + y 2 + z2
However it is usually easier to see a problem by breaking it down into two or more 2D problems
How does SOHCAHTOA work in 3D?
Again look for a combination of right-angled triangles that would lead to the missing angle or side
The angle you are working with can be awkward in 3D
The angle between a line and a plane is not always obvious
If unsure put a point on the line and draw a new line to the plane
This should create a right-angled triangle

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Your notes

Examiner Tip
Annotate diagrams that are given to you with values that you have calculated
It can be useful to make additional sketches of parts of any diagrams that are given to you,
especially if there are multiple lengths/angles that you are asked to nd
If you are not given a diagram, sketch a nice, big, clear one!

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Worked example
Your notes
A pencil is being put into a cuboid shaped box. The base of the box has a width of 4 cm and a length of
6 cm. The height of the box is 3 cm. Find:

a) the length of the longest pencil that could t inside the box,

b) the angle that the pencil would make with the top of the box.

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Your notes

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3.3.2 Non Right-Angled Trigonometry

Your notes
Sine Rule
What is the sine rule?
The sine rule allows us to nd missing side lengths or angles in non-right-angled triangles
It states that for any triangle with angles A, B and C
a b c
= =
sin A sin B sin C
Where
a is the side opposite angle A
b is the side opposite angle B
c is the side opposite angle C
This formula is in the formula booklet, you do not need to remember it
Sin 90° = 1 so if one of the angles is 90° this becomes SOH from SOHCAHTOA

How can we use the sine rule to nd missing side lengths or angles?
The sine rule can be used when you have any opposite pairs of sides and angles
Always start by labelling your triangle with the angles and sides
Remember the sides with the lower-case letters are opposite the angles with the equivalent
upper-case letters
Use the formula in the formula booklet to nd the length of a side
To nd a missing angle you can rearrange the formula and use the form
sin A sin B sin C
= =
a b c

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This is not in the formula booklet but can easily be found by rearranging the one given
Substitute the values you have into the formula and solve
Your notes
Examiner Tip
Remember to check that your calculator is in degrees mode!

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Worked example
Your notes
The following diagram shows triangle ABC. AB = 8 . 1 cm , BC = 12. 3 cm, BCA = 27°.

Use the sine rule to calculate the value of:

i) x,

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Your notes

ii) y.

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Your notes

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Cosine Rule
What is the cosine rule? Your notes
The cosine rule allows us to nd missing side lengths or angles in non-right-angled triangles
It states that for any triangle

2 2 2 a2 + b 2 − c2
c = a + b − 2ab cosC ; cos C =
2ab
Where
c is the side opposite angle C
a and b are the other two sides
Both of these formulae are in the formula booklet, you do not need to remember them
The rst version is used to nd a missing side
The second version is a rearrangement of this and can be used to nd a missing angle
Cos 90° = 0 so if C = 90° this becomes Pythagoras’ Theorem
How can we use the cosine rule to nd missing side lengths or angles?
The cosine rule can be used when you have two sides and the angle between them or all three sides
Always start by labelling your triangle with the angles and sides
Remember the sides with the lower-case letters are opposite the angles with the equivalent
upper-case letters
As the formula uses C for the known angle, or the angle being found, you can choose to relabel the
diagram to match this
Remember to also relabel the sides, so that side c is opposite angle C , and so on
Use the formula c 2 = a 2 + b 2 − 2 ab cosC to nd an unknown side
a2 + b 2 − c2
Use the formula cos C = to nd an unknown angle
2ab
C is the angle between sides a and b
Substitute the values you have into the formula and solve

Examiner Tip
Remember to check that your calculator is in degrees mode!

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Worked example
Your notes
The following diagram shows triangle ABC . AB = 4 . 2 km , BC = 3 . 8 km , AC = 7 . 1 km .

Calculate the value of ABC .

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Your notes

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Area of a Triangle
How do I nd the area of a non-right triangle? Your notes
The area of any triangle can be found using the formula
1
A= ab sinC
2
Where C is the angle between sides a and b
This formula is in the formula booklet, you do not need to remember it
Be careful to label your triangle correctly so that C is always the angle between the two sides
Sin 90° = 1 so if C = 90° this becomes Area = ½ × base × height

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Your notes

Examiner Tip
Remember to check that your calculator is in degrees mode!

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Worked example
Your notes
The following diagram shows triangle ABC . AB = 32 cm, AC = 1 . 1 m , BA C = 74° .

Calculate the area of triangle .

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Your notes

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3.3.3 Applications of Trigonometry & Pythagoras

Your notes
Bearings
What are bearings?
Bearings are a way of describing and using directions as angles
They are speci cally de ned for use in navigation because they give a precise location and/or
direction

How are bearings de ned?

There are three rules which must be followed every time a bearing is de ned
They are measured from the North direction
An arrow showing the North line should be included on the diagram
They are measured clockwise
The angle is always written in 3 gures
If the angle is less than 100° the rst digit will be a zero
What are bearings used for?
Bearings questions will normally involve the use of Pythagoras or trigonometry to nd missing
distances (lengths) and directions (angles) within navigation questions
You should always draw a diagram
There may be a scale given or you may need to consider using a scale
However normally in IB you will be using triangle calculations to nd the distances
Some questions may also involve the use of angle facts to nd the missing directions
To answer a question involving drawing bearings the following steps may help:
STEP 1: Draw a diagram adding in any points and distances you have been given
STEP 2: Draw a North line (arrow pointing vertically up) at the point you wish to measure the bearing
from
If you are given the bearing from A to B draw the North line at A
STEP 3: Measure the angle of the bearing given from the North line in the clockwise direction
STEP 4: Draw a line and add the point B at the given distance
You will likely then need to use trigonometry to calculate the shortest distance or another given
distance

Examiner Tip
Always draw a big, clear diagram and annotate it, be especially careful to label the angles in the
correct places!

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Worked example
Your notes
The point B is 7 km from A on a bearing of 105°. The distance from B to C is 5 km and the bearing from B
to C is 230°. Find the distance from A to C.

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Elevation & Depression

What are the angles of elevation and depression? Your notes
If a person looks at an object that is not on the same horizontal line as their eye-level they will be
looking at either an angle of elevation or depression
If a person looks up at an object their line of sight will be at an angle of elevation with the horizontal
If a person looks down at an object their line of sight will be at an angle of depression with the
horizontal
Angles of elevation and depression are measured from the horizontal
Right-angled trigonometry can be used to nd an angle of elevation or depression or a missing
distance
Tan is often used in real-life scenarios with angles of elevation and depression
For example if we know the distance we are standing from a tree and the angle of elevation of the
top of the tree we can use Tan to nd its height
Or if we are looking at a boat at to sea and we know our height above sea level and the angle of
depression we can nd how far away the boat is

Examiner Tip
It may be useful to draw more than one diagram if the triangles that you are interested in overlap
one another

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Worked example
Your notes
A cli is perpendicular to the sea and the top of the cli stands 24 m above the level of the sea. The
angle of depression from the cli to a boat at sea is 35°. At a point x m up the cli is a ag marker and
the angle of elevation from the boat to the ag marker is 18°.
a) Draw and label a diagram to show the top of the cli , T, the foot of the cli , F, the ag marker, M,
and the boat, B, labelling all the angles and distances given above.

b) Find the distance from the boat to the foot of the cli .

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Your notes

c) Find the value of x .

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Your notes

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Constructing Diagrams
What diagrams will I need to construct? Your notes
In IB you will be expected to construct diagrams based on information given
The information will include compass directions, bearings, angles
Look out for the plane the diagram should be drawn in
It will either be horizontal (something occurring at sea or on the ground)
Or it will be vertical (Including height)
Work through the statements given in the instructions systematically
What do I need to know?
Your diagrams will be sketches, they do not need to be accurate or to scale
However the more accurate your diagram is the easier it is to work with
Read the full set of instructions once before beginning to draw the diagram so you have a rough idea of
where each object is
Make sure you know your compass directions
Due east means on a bearing of 090°
Draw the line directly to the right
Due south means on a bearing of 180°
Draw the line vertically downwards
Due west means on a bearing of 270°
Draw the line directly to the left
Due north means on a bearing of 360° (or 000°)
Draw the line vertically upwards
Using the above bearings for compass directions will help you to estimate angles for other bearings on
your diagram

Examiner Tip
Draw your diagrams in pencil so that you can easily erase any errors

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Worked example
Your notes
A city at B is due east of a city at A and A is due north of a city at E. A city at C is due south of B.
The bearing from A to D is 155° and the bearing from D to C is 30°.
The distance AB = 50 km, the distances BC = CD = 30 km and the distances DE = AE = 40 km.
Draw and label a diagram to show the cities A, B, C, D and E and clearly mark the bearings and
distances given.

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