According to the Law of Sines, under which of the following angle conditions could a triangle exist? Select the correct option.
Table of contents
- 0. Review of College Algebra4h 43m
- 1. Measuring Angles40m
- 2. Trigonometric Functions on Right Triangles2h 5m
- 3. Unit Circle1h 19m
- 4. Graphing Trigonometric Functions1h 19m
- 5. Inverse Trigonometric Functions and Basic Trigonometric Equations1h 41m
- 6. Trigonometric Identities and More Equations2h 34m
- 7. Non-Right Triangles1h 38m
- 8. Vectors2h 25m
- 9. Polar Equations2h 5m
- 10. Parametric Equations1h 6m
- 11. Graphing Complex Numbers1h 7m
7. Non-Right Triangles
Law of Sines
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Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first videoMultiple Choice
If two triangles are similar, which of the following statements about the is always true for both triangles?
A
The angles of both triangles are different.
B
The ratios , , and are equal in both triangles.
C
The does not apply to similar triangles.
D
The side lengths of both triangles are equal.
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that similar triangles have the same angles but their corresponding sides are proportional, not necessarily equal.
The Law of Sines states that for any triangle with sides \(a\), \(b\), and \(c\) opposite angles \(A\), \(B\), and \(C\) respectively, the following ratio holds: \(\frac{a}{\sin(A)} = \frac{b}{\sin(B)} = \frac{c}{\sin(C)}\).
Since the triangles are similar, their corresponding angles \(A\), \(B\), and \(C\) are equal, so the sine values \(\sin(A)\), \(\sin(B)\), and \(\sin(C)\) are the same for both triangles.
Because the sides are proportional, the ratios \(\frac{a}{\sin(A)}\), \(\frac{b}{\sin(B)}\), and \(\frac{c}{\sin(C)}\) will be equal within each triangle but scaled by the similarity ratio between the two triangles.
Therefore, the ratios \(\frac{a}{\sin(A)}\), \(\frac{b}{\sin(B)}\), and \(\frac{c}{\sin(C)}\) are equal for each triangle individually, but when comparing the two similar triangles, these ratios are proportional by the scale factor of similarity.
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