Name ______________________________________

1.

Trigonometry

Sally is trying to estimate the height of her school. She measures the angle of elevation
of the highest point as 35.. She measures the distance from the bottom of the wall along
level ground as 12.6 m.

35
12.6 m
(a)

Calculate the height of the school.

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Answer .................................................... m
(4)

(b)

To what degree of accuracy should Sally give her answer?

Give a reason for your answer.
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(2)

2)

The point A is 50 metres from the base of a tower.

The angle of elevation of the top of the tower from A is 74 degrees

Tow er
n o t d ra w n a c c u ra te ly

74
50 m

Calculate the height of the tower. Give your answer to a suitable degree of accuracy.
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Answer .................................................... m

(4)
3.

A wire 18 m long runs from the top of a pole to the ground as shown in the diagram.
The wire makes an angle of 35 with the ground.

18m

35
Calculate the height of the pole.
Give your answer to a suitable degree of accuracy.
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Answer .................................................... m
4)
4.

LMN is a right-angled triangle.

L
N o t to s c a le
8 cm

x
N

LN = 8 cm.
sin x = 0.6, cos x = 0.8, and tan x = 0.75.
Calculate the length of MN.
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Answer .................................................... cm
(4)

5.

(a)

A ramp is 4 metres long and 29 centimetres high.

If the ramp is safe for wheelchair users the angle marked x must be 4 or less.
n o t d r a w n a c c u r a te ly
4 m

29 cm

Is this ramp safe for wheelchair users?

You must show your working
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Answer ...................................................
(4)
6.

The diagram shows the position of Leeds and Newcastle.

N
N e w c a s tle

N o t d ra w n
a c c u ra te ly

78
L eeds

Calculate how far south Leeds is from Newcastle, the distance marked x on the diagram.
Give your answer to an appropriate degree of accuracy.
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Answer .................................................... miles
(4)

7.

(a)

Calculate the size of angle BAC.

A
50 cm

33 cm

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Answer .................................................... degrees
(3)
(b)

Calculate the length of the side LN.

L
12 cm
21

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Answer ....................................................cm
(3)
(c)

Calculate the length of the side PQ.

P
16 cm
Q

58

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Answer .................................................... cm

(4)

8.

A quadrilateral consists of two right-angled triangles.

C

6 cm

D
N o t d ra w n a c c u ra te ly

Given that tan x = 2.5 and cos y = 0.6,

calculate the length of BC.
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Answer .......................................... cm
(5)

9.

When an aeroplane takes off, its ascent is in two stages. These two stages are shown in
the diagram below as AB and BC.
T h e d ia g ra m is n o t
d ra w n to s c a le

3 5 0 0 0 feet

15
1 2 m ile s
g r o u n d d is ta n c e
1 m ile = 5 2 8 0 fe e t

(a)

In the first stage the aeroplane climbs at an angle of 15 to the horizontal.

Calculate the height is has reached when it has covered a ground distance of 12
miles.
Give your answer correct to the nearest thousand feet.
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Answer .................................................... ft
(4)

(b)

In the second stage the aeroplane climbs at an angle of 7 to the horizontal.

At the end of its ascent it has reached a height of 35 000 feet above the ground.
Calculate the total ground distance it has covered.
Give your answer in miles to a reasonable degree of accuracy.
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Answer .................................................... miles

(4)

10. A lift at the seaside takes people from sea level to the top of a cliff, as shown.
C liff to p

N o t to s c a le
23 m

21 m

S e a le v e l
A

From sea level to the top of the cliff, the lift travels 23 m and rises a height of 21 m.
(a)

Calculate the distance AC.

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Answer ...................................... m
(3)

(b)

Calculate angle BCA.

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Answer ...................................... degrees
(3)

11.

BCD is a straight line. CE = 16 cm.

A
E

32

8 cm

(a)

T h e d ia g ra m is
n o t d ra w n to s c a le .

Calculate the size of the angle marked x.

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Answer .................................................... degrees
(3)

(b)

Calculate the length of AC.

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Answer .................................................... cm
(3)

(c)

Use your answers to parts (a) and (b) to calculate the length of BC.
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Answer .................................................... cm

(4)

12) The diagram shows an 8 m ladder leaning against a wall.

Instructions for finding the safest position for the foot of the ladder are also given.
The safest position for your ladder
Instructions
The safest distance for the foot of the ladder from the
wall is one quarter of the length of the ladder.

(a)

An 8 m ladder is placed against a wall using the safety instructions above.

Calculate the size of the angle marked x.
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Answer .................................................... degrees
(3)

(b)

Use trigonometry to calculate how far up the wall this ladder will reach when it is in
the safest position.
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Answer .................................................... m

(3)

13. An aeroplane is flying from Leeds (L) to London Heathrow (H).

It flies 150 miles on a bearing 136 to a point A.
It then turns through 90 and flies the final 80 miles to H.
N o rth

N o r th
136

E ast
y
T h e d ia g ra m is n o t
d ra w n to s c a le

N o rth
A

E ast

E ast

(a)

(i)

Show clearly why the angle marked x is equal to 46.

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(3)

(ii)

Give the bearing of H from A.

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Answer .................................................... degrees
(3)

(b)

Use Pythagoras Theorem to calculate the distance LH.

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Answer .................................................... miles
(2)

(c)

(i)

Calculate the size of the angle marked y.

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Answer .................................................... degrees

(ii)

Work out the bearing of L from H.

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Answer .................................................... degrees

(4)