Law of sines
Topic Notes
In this section, we will learn about the Law of Sines, also known as the Sines Rule. The Law of Sines is a formula that models the relationship between the sides and the angles of any triangle, be it a right-angled triangle, an obtuse triangle, or an acute triangle. In order to use the Law of Sines, we need to satisfy the "one pair, one additional information" condition (i.e. Angle-Angle-Side abbreviated as AAS, and Angle-Side-Angle abbreviated as ASA). We will also explore the concept of the Ambiguous Case of the Law of Sines.
Law of Sine
For any ABC,
and,
Use the Law of Sine when given a pair!
Ambiguous case
Ambiguous case of the Law of Sine arises when given SSA (side-side-angle)
Step 1) Use the given angle to find the height of the triangle:
Step 2) Check if,
< , then no triangles
, then 1 triangle
> , then 1 triangle
< < , then 2 triangles
Step 3) Solve the triangle(s)!
For any ABC,
and,
Use the Law of Sine when given a pair!
Ambiguous case
Ambiguous case of the Law of Sine arises when given SSA (side-side-angle)
Step 1) Use the given angle to find the height of the triangle:
Step 2) Check if,
< , then no triangles
, then 1 triangle
> , then 1 triangle
< < , then 2 triangles
Step 3) Solve the triangle(s)!
Basic Concepts
- Use sine ratio to calculate angles and sides (Sin = )
- Use cosine ratio to calculate angles and sides (Cos = )
- Use tangent ratio to calculate angles and sides (Tan = )