Sign In
Begin by using the Law of Cosines.
See solution.
Let's begin by drawing â–³ CDE and labeling the lengths of the sides. We will also color code the opposite angles and sides. It will help us use the Law of Sines and Law of Cosines later.
First, we can tell that it is not a right triangle, as the sides do not satisfy the Pythagorean Theorem.
48^2+ 20^2 ≠52^2
Let's find the measures of ∠C, ∠D, and ∠E one at a time.
The measures of all three sides of the triangle are given. Therefore, we can use the Law of Cosines to find m ∠C. c^2=d^2+e^2 -2 d e cos C Let's substitute c= 20, d= 48, and e= 52 to isolate cos C.
Substitute values
Now, we can use the inverse cosine ratio and a calculator to find m ∠C.
Use a calculator
Round to nearest integer
Now that we know the measure of ∠C, we can find m ∠D using the Law of Sines. sin C/c =sin D/d Let's substitute c= 20, m ∠C ≈ 23, and d= 48, to isolate sin D.
Substitute values
Now we can use the inverse sine ratio to find m ∠D.
Use a calculator
Round to nearest integer
Finally, to find m ∠E we can use the Triangle Angle Sum Theorem. This tells us that the measures of the angles in a triangle add up to 180. 23+ 70 + m ∠E = 180 ⇔ m ∠E ≈ 87
With all of the angle measures, we can complete our diagram.