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Help with this word problem!

Help with this word problem!-example-1
User EscoMaji
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1 Answer

5 votes

Answer:

2.0 km

Explanation:

The Law of Cosines can be used to find the third side of a triangle in which two sides and the angle between them are given.

Setup

The law of cosines tells us ...

c² = a² +b² -2ab·cos(C)

Using the given values, we have ...

c² = 4.2² +4.5² -2(4.2)(4.5)cos(26°)

Solution

Simplifying the equation, we get ...

c² = 37.89 -37.8cos(26°) ≈ 3.91559

c ≈ 1.979 . . . . km

The width of the strait is about 2.0 km.

Help with this word problem!-example-1
User Boaz Rymland
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3.8k points