Trigonometry (11th Edition) Clone

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 978-0-13-421743-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-13421-743-7

Chapter 7 - Applications of Trigonometry and Vectors - Section 7.1 Oblique Triangles and the Law of Sines - 7.1 Exercises - Page 302: 30

Answer

It is a better idea to solve for $c$ using $a$, as the rounding error would be reduced.

Work Step by Step

As shown in Example 1, while angle $\angle B$ has already been given, side $b$ has to be obtained using law of cosines; and the result obtained must be approximated. Therefore, if we solve for $c$ using $b$, we would come up with a result that needs to be approximated one more time, meaning the rounding error would be quite significant. Instead, if we solve for $c$ using $a$, an already given value, we would only need to approximate the result one time, so the rounding error would be reduced compared with when we use $b$. Therefore, it is a better idea to solve for $c$ using $a$, as the rounding error would be reduced.
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