Section 7.

2 The Law of Cosines

Yay! Now we can solve the types of triangles that fall under Case 3 and
Case 4 SAS triangles and SSS triangles. What is the best part about SAS
triangles and SSS triangles you may ask?

For SAS triangles we have ____________ solution(s).

For SSS triangles we have _____________ solution(s).

The Law of Cosines:

For a triangle with side lengths
, , and  and opposite angle measures
, , and  the following is true:

    2



   2




   2


Note*** For the SAS case, after using the Law of Cosines, solve for the
smaller of the remaining two angles first.

For the SSS case, solve for the largest angle first.

Example 1: Solve the triangle

15 , 
6.8 , and 
17.
Example 2: Two airplanes take off from the same airport. One travels 100
miles at an angle of 50 clockwise from due north before landing, while the
other flies for 80 miles at an angle of 185 clockwise from due north before
landing. After landing, how far apart are the planes?

Example 3: Solve the triangle

6, 
9, and 
12.
Section 7.4: Vectors

What is a vector anyway? A vector is

Vectors also have

A= B=

 AB 
There are a few different notations for vectors: u  

We also have the magnitude of a vector to consider. This is the

There are a few different notations for magnitudes as well: | | or

Two vectors u and v are equal if and only if they have the same magnitude
and direction.

Equal Vectors: Same Magnitude and Opposite

Direction:

Same Magnitude Different Magnitude

Vector Addition: How do we add 
 and " together?

Method 1: Tail-to-tip

If we add 
 # ", we get

Method 2: Parallelogram Method

Vector Subtraction: How does it work?

Vectors in the Coordinate Plane:

When superimposing vectors on the coordinate plane, we like them to have

an initial point at the origin. These types of vectors are called

1. _______________________________ or
2. _______________________________

A position vector u with its terminal point at (
, ) would be denoted as:

 =
,  is || =
The magnitude of 

Example 1: Find the magnitude of the vector u= (, ).

Direction Angle of a Vector

The positive angle between the positive x-axis and a position vector is
called the direction angle, denoted *.
,
#
+* = where
0
-

Or
,
* = #
+/0 1 2 for * in quadrants I or IV
-

,
* = #
+/0 1 2 + 180 for * in quadrants II or III
-

Example 2: Find the direction angle of the vector v = 1, 5.

Example 3: Find the magnitude and direction angle of the vector

v = 4, 3.
Equal Vectors: Two position vectors u=
,  and v= , 5 are equal if and
only if

To add two vectors together algebraically, vector addition is performed

component to component:
If u=
,  and v= , 5, then 6 + 7 =

Example 4: If 6 = 1, 2 and 7 = 5, 4, then

6+7=

67=

If 8 is a scalar (a real number) and 6 =
, , then

86 = 8
,  = 8
, 8.

Scalar multiplication corresponds to either increasing the length,

decreasing the length, or changing the direction of 6.

If |8| > 1, the length of the vector ___________________

If |8| < 1, the length of the vector ___________________

If 8 < 0, the vector 6 ______________________________

Example 5: Find 86 if 8 = 2 and 6 = 1, 2. What if 8 = 3?

Horizontal and Vertical Components of a Vector:

Given | | and *,

* =

<+* =

= a, b =

Example 6: Find the position vector that has a magnitude of 3 and a

direction angle of 75.

A vector with magnitude 1 is called a _________________________.

Finding a Unit Vector
If v is a nonzero vector, then
7 1
6= = 7
|7| |7|

is the unit vector in the same direction as 7.

Example 7: Find the unit vector in the same direction as 7 = 5, 12.

Applications

Example 8: A plane has a compass heading of 60 east of due north and

airspeed of 300 mph. The wind is blowing 40 mph with a heading of 30
west of due north. What is the planes actual heading and airspeed?