trigonometry problem solving pdf

Trigonometry Worksheets

Free worksheets with answer keys.

Enjoy these free sheets. Each one has model problems worked out step by step, practice problems, as well as challenge questions at the sheets end. Plus each one comes with an answer key.

(This sheet is a summative worksheet that focuses on deciding when to use the law of sines or cosines as well as on using both formulas to solve for a single triangle's side or angle)

• Law of Sines
• Ambiguous Case of the Law of Sines
• Law Of Cosines
• Sine, Cosine, Tangent, to Find Side Length
• Sine, Cosine, Tangent Chart
• Inverse Trig Functions
• Real World Applications of SOHCATOA
• Mixed Review
• Vector Worksheet
• Unit Circle Worksheet
• Graphing Sine and Cosine Worksheet

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Trigonometry : Solving Word Problems with Trigonometry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for trigonometry, all trigonometry resources, example questions, example question #1 : solving word problems with trigonometry.

You can draw the following right triangle using the information given by the question:

Since you want to find the height of the platform, you will need to use tangent.

You can draw the following right triangle from the information given by the question.

In order to find the height of the flagpole, you will need to use tangent.

You can draw the following right triangle from the information given in the question:

In order to find out how far up the ladder goes, you will need to use sine.

In right triangle ABC, where angle A measures 90 degrees, side AB measures 15 and side AC measures 36, what is the length of side BC?

This triangle cannot exist.

Example Question #5 : Solving Word Problems With Trigonometry

A support wire is anchored 10 meters up from the base of a flagpole, and the wire makes a 25 o angle with the ground. How long is the wire, w? Round your answer to two decimal places.

23.81 meters

28.31 meters

21.83 meters

To make sense of the problem, start by drawing a diagram. Label the angle of elevation as 25 o , the height between the ground and where the wire hits the flagpole as 10 meters, and our unknown, the length of the wire, as w. 

Now, we just need to solve for w using the information given in the diagram. We need to ask ourselves which parts of a triangle 10 and w are relative to our known angle of 25 o . 10 is opposite this angle, and w is the hypotenuse. Now, ask yourself which trig function(s) relate opposite and hypotenuse. There are two correct options: sine and cosecant. Using sine is probably the most common, but both options are detailed below.

We know that sine of a given angle is equal to the opposite divided by the hypotenuse, and cosecant of an angle is equal to the hypotenuse divided by the opposite (just the reciprocal of the sine function). Therefore:

To solve this problem instead using the cosecant function, we would get:

The reason that we got 23.7 here and 23.81 above is due to differences in rounding in the middle of the problem. 

Example Question #6 : Solving Word Problems With Trigonometry

When the sun is 22 o above the horizon, how long is the shadow cast by a building that is 60 meters high?

To solve this problem, first set up a diagram that shows all of the info given in the problem. 

Next, we need to interpret which side length corresponds to the shadow of the building, which is what the problem is asking us to find. Is it the hypotenuse, or the base of the triangle? Think about when you look at a shadow. When you see a shadow, you are seeing it on something else, like the ground, the sidewalk, or another object. We see the shadow on the ground, which corresponds to the base of our triangle, so that is what we'll be solving for. We'll call this base b.

Therefore the shadow cast by the building is 150 meters long.

If you got one of the incorrect answers, you may have used sine or cosine instead of tangent, or you may have used the tangent function but inverted the fraction (adjacent over opposite instead of opposite over adjacent.)

Example Question #7 : Solving Word Problems With Trigonometry

From the top of a lighthouse that sits 105 meters above the sea, the angle of depression of a boat is 19 o . How far from the boat is the top of the lighthouse?

423.18 meters

318.18 meters

36.15 meters

110.53 meters

To solve this problem, we need to create a diagram, but in order to create that diagram, we need to understand the vocabulary that is being used in this question. The following diagram clarifies the difference between an angle of depression (an angle that looks downward; relevant to our problem) and the angle of elevation (an angle that looks upward; relevant to other problems, but not this specific one.) Imagine that the top of the blue altitude line is the top of the lighthouse, the green line labelled GroundHorizon is sea level, and point B is where the boat is.

Merging together the given info and this diagram, we know that the angle of depression is 19 o  and and the altitude (blue line) is 105 meters. While the blue line is drawn on the left hand side in the diagram, we can assume is it is the same as the right hand side. Next, we need to think of the trig function that relates the given angle, the given side, and the side we want to solve for. The altitude or blue line is opposite the known angle, and we want to find the distance between the boat (point B) and the top of the lighthouse. That means that we want to determine the length of the hypotenuse, or red line labelled SlantRange. The sine function relates opposite and hypotenuse, so we'll use that here. We get:

Example Question #8 : Solving Word Problems With Trigonometry

Angelina just got a new car, and she wants to ride it to the top of a mountain and visit a lookout point. If she drives 4000 meters along a road that is inclined 22 o to the horizontal, how high above her starting point is she when she arrives at the lookout?

9.37 meters

1480 meters

3708.74 meters

10677.87 meters

1616.1 meters

As with other trig problems, begin with a sketch of a diagram of the given and sought after information.

Angelina and her car start at the bottom left of the diagram. The road she is driving on is the hypotenuse of our triangle, and the angle of the road relative to flat ground is 22 o . Because we want to find the change in height (also called elevation), we want to determine the difference between her ending and starting heights, which is labelled x in the diagram. Next, consider which trig function relates together an angle and the sides opposite and hypotenuse relative to it; the correct one is sine. Then, set up:

Therefore the change in height between Angelina's starting and ending points is 1480 meters. 

Example Question #9 : Solving Word Problems With Trigonometry

Two buildings with flat roofs are 50 feet apart. The shorter building is 40 feet tall. From the roof of the shorter building, the angle of elevation to the edge of the taller building is 48 o . How high is the taller building?

To solve this problem, let's start by drawing a diagram of the two buildings, the distance in between them, and the angle between the tops of the two buildings. Then, label in the given lengths and angle. 

Example Question #10 : Solving Word Problems With Trigonometry

Two buildings with flat roofs are 80 feet apart. The shorter building is 55 feet tall. From the roof of the shorter building, the angle of elevation to the edge of the taller building is 32 o . How high is the taller building?

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Analysis of Students’ Difficulties in Solving Trigonometry Problems

Proceedings of the Proceedings of the 4th Progressive and Fun Education International Conference, Profunedu 2019, 6-8 August 2019, Makassar, Indonesia

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