Topic Details (Notes format)

How to Use the Law of Cosines in Any Triangle

Subject: Mathematics

Book: Maths Mastery

The Law of Cosines extends the Pythagorean theorem to non-right triangles: c² = a² + b² – 2ab cos(C), where C is the angle opposite side c. If you know two sides and the included angle, you can find the third side; or if you know three sides, you can find an angle. For instance, if a=7, b=5, and angle C=60°, then c² = 7² + 5² – 2×7×5×cos(60°)= 49 + 25 – 70×0.5=49 + 25 – 35=39, so c=√39. This formula solves oblique triangles, essential in astronomy, land surveying, or advanced geometry proofs. Grasping the Law of Cosines complements the Law of Sines to solve any general triangle scenario.

Practice Questions

The perimeter of a rectangle is 50 cm, and its length is 15 cm. What is its width?

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The perimeter of a rectangle is 40 cm, and its length is 12 cm. What is its width?

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What is the sum of all angles in a hexagon?

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What is the value of log₃(27)?

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The LCM of two numbers is 60, and their HCF is 5. If one of the numbers is 20, what is the other number?

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If the perimeter of a square is 40 cm, what is the area of the square?

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What is the cube root of 729?

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If sin(A) = 3/5 and cos(B) = 5/13, where A and B are acute angles, what is sin(A+B)?

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If the average of five consecutive odd numbers is 25, what is the largest number?

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If a right triangle has legs of 9 cm and 12 cm, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

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