Need help with Q9 MODULE 2 EXAM 1 2009.
Cheers.
This one took a few steps, and there's probably a few ways to go about it. Here's how I did it though:
Firstly, the only part of the diagram we currently have enough to work with is the triangle at the bottom.
We have the three side lengths, so we can only work out the area (Heron's rule) or any of the angles (cosine rule). Given that the question has nothing to do with finding the area, cosine rule is the obvious choice here. For simplicity, I'm finding the angle QMT. (Note that TQM is a right angle, I just forgot to add that to my diagram
)
For simplicity's sake, let the angle QMT = theta
Next we need to find the length TQ (the distance between the pole and the wall) because the pole will fall along this line and (conveniently?
) create a triangle for us to work with.
(again note that the angle MQT is 90 degrees, I just didn't mark it (whoops))
Finally, it's just some pythagoras'
Hope that's clear, it was a kind of round-about question.