Suppose a triangle has two sides of lengths 33 and 37, and the angle between these two sides is [tex]120^{\circ}[/tex]. Which equation should you solve to find the length of the third side of the triangle?

A. [tex]c^2=33^2+37^2-2(33)(37) \sin 120^{\circ}[/tex]
B. [tex]c^2=33^2+37^2-2(33)(37) \cos 120^{\circ}[/tex]
C. [tex]c=33+37-2(33)(37) \cos 120^{\circ}[/tex]
D. [tex]\frac{\sin 33}{120}=\frac{\sin 37}{b}[/tex]



Answer :

To determine the length of the third side of a triangle where two sides and the included angle are known, you can use the Law of Cosines. The Law of Cosines formula is given by:

[tex]\[ c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab \cos(C) \][/tex]

Here:
- [tex]\( a \)[/tex] and [tex]\( b \)[/tex] are the lengths of two sides.
- [tex]\( C \)[/tex] is the included angle between these two sides.
- [tex]\( c \)[/tex] is the length of the third side opposite the angle [tex]\( C \)[/tex].

Given:
- [tex]\( a = 33 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( b = 37 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( C = 120^{\circ} \)[/tex]

Using the Law of Cosines, the equation to find the length of the third side [tex]\( c \)[/tex] is:

[tex]\[ c^2 = 33^2 + 37^2 - 2 \times 33 \times 37 \times \cos(120^{\circ}) \][/tex]

Therefore, the correct equation to solve is:

[tex]\[ c^2 = 33^2 + 37^2 - 2(33)(37) \cos 120^{\circ} \][/tex]

So, the correct choice is:

[tex]\[ B. \ c^2 = 33^2 + 37^2 - 2(33)(37) \cos 120^{\circ} \][/tex]

This means the correct equation is:

[tex]\[ c^2 = 33^2 + 37^2 - 2(33)(37) \cos 120^{\circ} \][/tex]