EXAMPLE 4 Solve a real-world problem

READ VOCABULARY THEATER DESIGN Suppose your school is building a raked stage. The stage
A raked stage slants will be 30 feet long from front to back, with a total rise of 2 feet. A rake (angle
upward from front of elevation) of 58 or less is generally preferred for the safety and comfort of
to back to give the the actors. Is the raked stage you are building within the range suggested?
audience a better view.

audience stage back

x8 30 ft
2 ft
stage front

Solution
Use the sine and inverse sine ratios to find the degree measure x of the rake.
opp.
2
sin x8 5 } 5 } ø 0.0667
hyp. 30
21
x ø sin 0.0667 ø 3.824
c The rake is about 3.88, so it is within the suggested range of 58 or less.

✓ GUIDED PRACTICE for Examples 3 and 4

3. Solve a right triangle that has a 408 angle and a 20 inch hypotenuse.
4. WHAT IF? In Example 4, suppose another raked stage is 20 feet long from
front to back with a total rise of 2 feet. Is this raked stage safe? Explain.

7.7 EXERCISES HOMEWORK

KEY
5 WORKED-OUT SOLUTIONS
on p. WS1 for Exs. 5, 13, and 35
★ 5 STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
Exs. 2, 9, 29, 30, 35, 40, and 41
5 MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS
Ex. 39

SKILL PRACTICE
1. VOCABULARY Copy and complete: To solve a right triangle means to find
the measures of all of its ? and ? .

2. ★ WRITING Explain when to use a trigonometric ratio to find a side

length of a right triangle and when to use the Pythagorean Theorem.

EXAMPLE 1 USING INVERSE TANGENTS Use a calculator to approximate the measure of

on p. 483 ∠ A to the nearest tenth of a degree.
for Exs. 3–5
3. C 4. B 22 A 5. A

12 4
10
C 14 B
B 18 A C

7.7 Solve Right Triangles 485

EXAMPLE 2 USING INVERSE SINES AND COSINES Use a calculator to approximate the
on p. 484 measure of ∠ A to the nearest tenth of a degree.
for Exs. 6–9
6. A 7. B 6 A 8. C

11 12
10

B 5 C C A 7 B

9. ★ MULTIPLE CHOICE Which expression is correct? L J

JL KL
A sin 21 } 5 m∠ J B tan 21 } 5 m∠ J
JK JL
JL JL
C cos 21 } 5 m∠ K D sin 21 } 5 m∠ K K
JK KL

EXAMPLE 3 SOLVING RIGHT TRIANGLES Solve the right triangle. Round decimal
on p. 484 answers to the nearest tenth.
for Exs. 10–18
10. K 11. P 12. R
658 578
8 10

408 N P
M L S 15 T

13. B 12 A 14. E F 15. G 14 H

9 3
9 16
D
C J

16. C 17. E D 18. J

5.2 8
3 14
3 29.98
43.68 F G 10 78 H
B A

ERROR ANALYSIS Describe and correct the student’s error in using an

inverse trigonometric ratio.
19. 20.
sin21 }
7 5 368
cos21 }
8 5 m∠ T
WY 15

W V
15 8
7
36° T 17 U
Y X

CALCULATOR Let ∠ A be an acute angle in a right triangle. Approximate the

measure of ∠ A to the nearest tenth of a degree.
21. sin A 5 0.5 22. sin A 5 0.75 23. cos A 5 0.33 24. cos A 5 0.64
25. tan A 5 1.0 26. tan A 5 0.28 27. sin A 5 0.19 28. cos A 5 0.81

5 WORKED-OUT SOLUTIONS ★ 5 STANDARDIZED

486 on p. WS1 TEST PRACTICE
 29. ★ MULTIPLE CHOICE Which additional information would not be enough
to solve nPRQ?
P
A m∠ P and PR B m∠ P and m∠ R
C PQ and PR D m∠ P and PQ P R

30. ★ WRITING Explain why it is incorrect to say that tan21 x 5 }.

1
tan x

1 } 1 }
31. SPECIAL RIGHT TRIANGLES If sin A 5 } Ï 2 , what is m∠ A? If sin B 5 } Ï3 ,
2 2
what is m∠ B?

32. TRIGONOMETRIC VALUES Use the Table of Trigonometric Ratios on page

925 to answer the questions.
a. What angles have nearly the same sine and tangent values?
b. What angle has the greatest difference in its sine and tangent value?
c. What angle has a tangent value that is double its sine value?
d. Is sin 2x equal to 2 p sin x?

33. CHALLENGE The perimeter of rectangle ABCD is 16 centimeters, and the

ratio of its width to its length is 1 : 3. Segment BD divides the rectangle
into two congruent triangles. Find the side lengths and angle measures of
one of these triangles.

PROBLEM SOLVING
EXAMPLE 4 34. SOCCER A soccer ball is placed 10 feet
on p. 485 away from the goal, which is 8 feet high.
for Exs. 34–36 You kick the ball and it hits the crossbar
along the top of the goal. What is the
angle of elevation of your kick?
GPS
QSPCMFN
TPMWJOH
IFMQ
BU
DMBTT[POFDPN

you
35. ★ SHORT RESPONSE You are standing on a footbridge in a city
park that is 12 feet high above a pond. You look down and see a
duck in the water 7 feet away from the footbridge. What is the
angle of depression? Explain your reasoning. 12 ft

GPS
QSPCMFN
TPMWJOH
IFMQ
BU
DMBTT[POFDPN

7 ft duck

36. CLAY In order to unload clay easily, the body of a dump truck must be
elevated to at least 558. If the body of the dump truck is 14 feet long and
has been raised 10 feet, will the clay pour out easily?

37. REASONING For n ABC shown, each of the expressions B

BC AC BC
sin 21 } , cos 21 } , and tan 21 } can be used to 15
AB AB AC
approximate the measure of ∠ A. Which expression would you
choose? Explain your choice. C 22 A

7.7 Solve Right Triangles 487