This week in math we finished up our trigonometry unit and started up our polynomial unit. In this weeks blog post I am going to focus on how to solve word questions in trigonometry. Word questions aren’t always easy but you have to look for clues throughout the question to make it easier. In this post I will show you what clues you should be looking for and then I will solve step by step a word question.
Clue 1: Ladder, string, guy wire is always going to be the side on a triangle that’s the angled side.
Clue 2: Tree, building, pole is always going to be the vertical side of the triangle and if you think about it, it makes sense because all those things are vertical objects that stands straight up and down.
Clue 3: Shadow, ground is always going to be the horizontal line of the triangle.
Clue 4: The angle of elevation is the angle from the horizontal line upwards and the angle it creates is the angle of elevation.
Clue 5: The angle of depression is the angle from the top of the triangle but it is on the outside of the triangle.
Word question:
Step 1: First we need to take the clues the question gives us and draw a diagram. I first notice in the question, they say that the building stands 1063ft high, which I know is referring to the vertical line. I then see they give us the angle of elevation which is 34.1 degrees. Then they ask us to find the length of the shadow, which I know is going to be the horizontal line.
After analyzing this information I can now make a diagram of the information they gave me.
Step 2: Now that have a diagram drown I can solve this just like any other question.
The most important thing while solving word questions is drawing the right diagram. I recommend that you have the diagram drawn above, at the top of the blog to help identify the clues the questions are giving you. And once you draw your diagram it is very easy, you just solve it like any other question!