The diagram shows two right-angled triangles ABD and BCD, sharing a common side BD - OCR - GCSE Maths - Question 11 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 11
The diagram shows two right-angled triangles ABD and BCD, sharing a common side BD. AD = 10 cm, BC = 12 cm and angle DBC = 60°.
Work out the length of AB.
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The diagram shows two right-angled triangles ABD and BCD, sharing a common side BD - OCR - GCSE Maths - Question 11 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Determine the length of BD
96%
114 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
In triangle BCD, we can use the cosine formula to find BD.
Using the cosine of angle DBC:
BC=BD/cos(60∘)
Substituting the known values:
12=BD/0.5
Therefore, solving for BD gives:
BD=12∗0.5=6 cm
Step 2
Determine the length of AB
99%
104 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
Now, knowing that AD = 10 cm and BD = 6 cm, we can find the length of AB using the Pythagorean theorem in triangle ABD:
Using:
AD2=AB2+BD2
Substituting the known values:
102=AB2+62100=AB2+36