NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-1 Study Guide and Intervention

Geometric Mean
Geometric Mean The geometric mean between two numbers is the square root of
their product. For two positive numbers a and b, the geometric mean of a and b is the
a x
positive number x in the proportion !! " !!. Cross multiplying gives x2 " ab, so x " !ab
".
x b

Example Find the geometric mean between each pair of numbers.

a. 12 and 3 b. 8 and 4
Let x represent the geometric mean. Let x represent the geometric mean.
12 x 8 x

Lesson 7-1
!! " !! Definition of geometric mean !! " !!
x 3 x 4
x2 " 36 Cross multiply. x2 " 32
x " !36
" or 6 Take the square root of each side. x " !32
"
# 5.7

Exercises
Find the geometric mean between each pair of numbers.

1. 4 and 4 2. 4 and 6

1
3. 6 and 9 4. !! and 2
2

5. 2!3
" and 3!3
" 6. 4 and 25

7. !3
" and !6
" 8. 10 and 100

1 1 2!2
" 3!2
"
9. !! and !! 10. !
5
and !
5
2 4

11. 4 and 16 12. 3 and 24

The geometric mean and one extreme are given. Find the other extreme.

13. !24
" is the geometric mean between a and b. Find b if a " 2.

14. !12
" is the geometric mean between a and b. Find b if a " 3.

Determine whether each statement is always, sometimes, or never true.

15. The geometric mean of two positive numbers is greater than the average of the two
numbers.

16. If the geometric mean of two positive numbers is less than 1, then both of the numbers
are less than 1.

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 351 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-1 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

Geometric Mean
Altitude of a Triangle In the diagram, !ABC $ !ADB $ !BDC. B
An altitude to the hypotenuse of a right triangle forms two right
triangles. The two triangles are similar and each is similar to the
original triangle. A C
D

Example 1Use right !ABC with Example 2 Find x, y, and z.

R
B!⊥A
!D !C !. Describe two geometric PR PQ
!! " !! y
25
means. PQ PS z
25 15 S
AD BD !! " !! x
a. !ADB " !BDC so !! " !!. 15 x
PR " 25, PQ " 15, PS " x
BD CD Q P
25x " 225 Cross multiply. 15
In !ABC, the altitude is the geometric
x" 9 Divide each side by 25.
mean between the two segments of the
Then
hypotenuse.
y" PR # SP
b. !ABC " !ADB and !ABC " !BDC, " 25 # 9
AC AB AC BC " 16
so !! " !! and !! " !!.
AB AD BC DC PR QR
!! " !!
In !ABC, each leg is the geometric QR RS
mean between the hypotenuse and the 25 z
!! " ! ! PR " 25, QR " z, RS " y
segment of the hypotenuse adjacent to z y
that leg. 25 z
!! " !! y " 16
z 16
z2 " 400 Cross multiply.
z " 20 Take the square root of each side.

Exercises
Find x, y, and z to the nearest tenth.
1. 2. 2 3. y
x z
x y 5
x 1 8
1 3
z

4. !"
12 5. 6.
y x y z
z
!%
3 x 2
y
2
1 2 x 6

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 352 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-2 Study Guide and Intervention

The Pythagorean Theorem and Its Converse
The Pythagorean Theorem In a right triangle, the sum of the B
squares of the measures of the legs equals the square of the measure of c
a
the hypotenuse.
A C
!ABC is a right triangle, so a2 $ b2 " c2. b

Example 1 Prove the Pythagorean Theorem. c y B

D
"D
With altitude C", each leg a and b is a geometric mean between x a
h
hypotenuse c and the segment of the hypotenuse adjacent to that leg.
A C
c a c b b
!! " !! and !! " !!, so a2 " cy and b2 " cx.
a y b x
Add the two equations and substitute c " y $ x to get
a2 $ b2 " cy $ cx " c( y $ x) " c2.

Example 2
a. Find a. b. Find c.

Lesson 7-2
B B
13
a c
20
C A
12 C A
30
a2 $ b2 " c2 Pythagorean Theorem
a2 $ b2 " c2 Pythagorean Theorem
a2 $ 122 " 132 b " 12, c " 13
202 $ 302 " c2 a " 20, b " 30
a2 $ 144 " 169 Simplify.
400 $ 900 " c2 Simplify.
a2 " 25 Subtract.
1300 " c2 Add.
a " 5 Take the square root of each side.
!" 1300 " c Take the square root of each side.
36.1 # c Use a calculator.

Exercises
Find x.

1. 2. x 3.
3 3 65
25
9
15
x x

4. 4 5. 6. x
x 9 x
16
5 28
9 11
33

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 357 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-2 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

The Pythagorean Theorem and Its Converse

Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem If the sum of the squares C
of the measures of the two shorter sides of a triangle equals the square of b a
the measure of the longest side, then the triangle is a right triangle.
A c B
If the three whole numbers a, b, and c satisfy the equation
a2 $ b2 " c2, then the numbers a, b, and c form a If a2 $ b2 " c2, then
Pythagorean triple. !ABC is a right triangle.

Example Determine whether !PQR is a right triangle. P

20
a2 $ b2 " c2 Pythagorean Theorem 10

102 $ (10!3
") " 2
202 a " 10, b " 10!3
", c " 20 R
10!%
3
Q

100 $ 300 " 400 Simplify.

400 " 400✓ Add.

The sum of the squares of the two shorter sides equals the square of the longest side, so the
triangle is a right triangle.

Exercises
Determine whether each set of measures can be the measures of the sides of a
right triangle. Then state whether they form a Pythagorean triple.

1. 30, 40, 50 2. 20, 30, 40 3. 18, 24, 30

3 4 5
4. 6, 8, 9 5. !!, !!, !! 6. 10, 15, 20
7 7 7

7. !5
", !12
", !13
" 8. 2, !8
", !12
" 9. 9, 40, 41

A family of Pythagorean triples consists of multiples of known triples. For each

Pythagorean triple, find two triples in the same family.

10. 3, 4, 5 11. 5, 12, 13 12. 7, 24, 25

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 358 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-3 Study Guide and Intervention

Special Right Triangles
Properties of 45°-45°-90° Triangles The sides of a 45°-45°-90° right triangle have a
special relationship.

Example 1 If the leg of a 45°-45°-90° Example 2 In a 45°-45°-90° right

right triangle is x units, show triangle the hypotenuse is #2 ! times
that the hypotenuse is x#2 ! units. the leg. If the hypotenuse is 6 units,
find the length of each leg.
x
45# x!%
2 The hypotenuse is !2 " times the leg, so
divide the length of the hypotenuse by !2 ".
45#
x 6
a"!
Using the Pythagorean Theorem with !2"
a " b " x, then 6!2 "
"!
!2"!2 "
c2 " a2 $ b2
6!2 "
" x2 $ x2 "! 2
" 2x2
" 3!2
" units
c" !"2x2
" x! "2

Exercises
Find x.
1. 2. 3!%
2 3.
45# x 45#

Lesson 7-3
10 x
45# x
8

4. 18 5. 6.
x 18 x 3!%
2
x x

7. Find the perimeter of a square with diagonal 12 centimeters.

8. Find the diagonal of a square with perimeter 20 inches.

9. Find the diagonal of a square with perimeter 28 meters.

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 363 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-3 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

Special Right Triangles

Properties of 30°-60°-90° Triangles The sides of a 30°-60°-90° right triangle also
have a special relationship.

Example 1 In a 30°-60°-90° right triangle, show that the P

hypotenuse is twice the shorter leg and the longer leg is #3 ! times 60#
the shorter leg. M
30# a
Q
30#
!MNQ is a 30°-60°-90° right triangle, and the length of the 2x 60#
x
hypotenuse M"N" is two times the length of the shorter side N
"Q
". N
Using the Pythagorean Theorem,
a2 " (2x) 2 # x2 !MNP is an equilateral
triangle.
" 4x2 # x2 !MNQ is a 30°-60°-90°
" 3x2 right triangle.

a " !"3x2
" x!" 3

Example 2 In a 30°-60°-90° right triangle, the hypotenuse is 5 centimeters.

Find the lengths of the other two sides of the triangle.
If the hypotenuse of a 30°-60°-90° right triangle is 5 centimeters, then the length of the
shorter leg is half of 5 or 2.5 centimeters. The length of the longer leg is !3
" times the
length of the shorter leg, or (2.5)(!3" ) centimeters.

Exercises
Find x and y.

1. 2. y 3.
60# x 11
1
2 x 60# x
30# 8 30#
y y

4. 5. 6.
y 60# y 60#
x x
x
30# y
12 20
9!%
3

7. The perimeter of an equilateral triangle is 32 centimeters. Find the length of an altitude

of the triangle to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.

8. An altitude of an equilateral triangle is 8.3 meters. Find the perimeter of the triangle to
the nearest tenth of a meter.

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 364 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-4 Study Guide and Intervention

Trigonometry
Trigonometric Ratios The ratio of the lengths of two sides of a right S
triangle is called a trigonometric ratio. The three most common ratios r t
are sine, cosine, and tangent, which are abbreviated sin, cos, and tan,
T R
respectively. s

leg opposite #R leg adjacent to #R leg opposite #R

sin R " !! cos R " !!! tan R " !!!
hypotenuse hypotenuse leg adjacent to #R
r s r
" !! " !! " !!
t t s

Example Find sin A, cos A, and tan A. Express each ratio as B

13
a decimal to the nearest thousandth. 5
C A
12

opposite leg adjacent leg opposite leg

sin A " !! cos A " !! tan A " !!
hypotenuse hypotenuse adjacent leg
BC AC BC
" !! " !! " !!
AB AB AC
5 12 5
" !! " !! " !!
13 13 12
# 0.385 # 0.923 # 0.417

Exercises
Find the indicated trigonometric ratio as a fraction B
and as a decimal. If necessary, round to the nearest
ten-thousandth. 34 E
30
20
1. sin A 2. tan B 16
C 16 A D 12 F

3. cos A 4. cos B Lesson 7-4

5. sin D 6. tan E

7. cos E 8. cos D

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 369 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-4 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

Trigonometry
Use Trigonometric Ratios In a right triangle, if you know the measures of two sides
or if you know the measures of one side and an acute angle, then you can use trigonometric
ratios to find the measures of the missing sides or angles of the triangle.

Example
Find x, y, and z. Round each measure to the nearest A
whole number. z 58#
18
x#
B y C
a. Find x. b. Find y. c. Find z.
x $ 58 " 90 y 18
tan A " !! cos A " !!
18 z
x " 32 y 18
tan 58° " !! cos 58° " !!
18 z
y " 18 tan 58° z cos 58° " 18
y # 29 18
z " !!
cos 58°
z # 34

Exercises
Find x. Round to the nearest tenth.
1. 2.
x 16
12
28#
32 x#

3. 12 4. x#
x# 1
5
4

5. 40# 6.
64# x
16 x 15

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 370 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-5 Study Guide and Intervention

Angles of Elevation and Depression
Angles of Elevation Many real-world problems that involve ht
s ig
looking up to an object can be described in terms of an angle of e of
lin
elevation, which is the angle between an observer’s line of sight
and a horizontal line.
angle of
elevation

Example The angle of elevation from point A to the top

of a cliff is 34°. If point A is 1000 feet from the base of the cliff,
x
how high is the cliff?
34#
Let x " the height of the cliff. A
1000 ft
x opposite
tan 34° " !! tan " !!
1000 adjacent

1000(tan 34°) " x Multiply each side by 1000.

674.5 " x Use a calculator.

The height of the cliff is about 674.5 feet.

Exercises
Solve each problem. Round measures of segments to the nearest whole number
and angles to the nearest degree.
1. The angle of elevation from point A to the top of a hill is 49°.
If point A is 400 feet from the base of the hill, how high is
the hill? ??

A 49#
400 ft

2. Find the angle of elevation of the sun when a 12.5-meter-tall ✹ sun

telephone pole casts a 18-meter-long shadow.
12.5 m
?
18 m

3. A ladder leaning against a building makes an angle of 78°

with the ground. The foot of the ladder is 5 feet from the
building. How long is the ladder? ?

78#
5 ft

4. A person whose eyes are 5 feet above the ground is standing

on the runway of an airport 100 feet from the control tower.
Lesson 7-5

That person observes an air traffic controller at the window

of the 132-foot tower. What is the angle of elevation? 132 ft

?
5 ft
100 ft

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 375 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-5 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

Angles of Elevation and Depression

Angles of Depression When an observer is looking down, the angle of
horizontal depression
angle of depression is the angle between the observer’s line of sight
and a horizontal line. gh
t
o f si
line Y

Example The angle of depression from the top of an horizontal D

B
80-foot building to point A on the ground is 42°. How far angle of
is the foot of the building from point A? depression
80 ft
Let x " the distance from point A to the foot of the building. Since
the horizontal line is parallel to the ground, the angle of depression 42#
A x
C
#DBA is congruent to #BAC.
80 opposite
tan 42° " !! tan " !!
x adjacent
x(tan 42°) " 80 Multiply each side by x.
80
x " !! Divide each side by tan 42°.
tan 42°
x # 88.8 Use a calculator.

Point A is about 89 feet from the base of the building.

Exercises
Solve each problem. Round measures of segments to the nearest whole number
and angles to the nearest degree.
1. The angle of depression from the top of a sheer cliff to 35#
point A on the ground is 35°. If point A is 280 feet from
?
the base of the cliff, how tall is the cliff?
A 280 ft

2. The angle of depression from a balloon on a 75-foot

string to a person on the ground is 36°. How high is 36#
the balloon? 75 ft ?

3. A ski run is 1000 yards long with a vertical drop of ?

208 yards. Find the angle of depression from the top 1000 yd 208 yd
of the ski run to the bottom.

4. From the top of a 120-foot-high tower, an air traffic 19#

controller observes an airplane on the runway at an 120 ft
angle of depression of 19°. How far from the base of the
tower is the airplane? ?

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 376 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-6 Study Guide and Intervention

The Law of Sines
The Law of Sines In any triangle, there is a special relationship between the angles of

Lesson 7-6
the triangle and the lengths of the sides opposite the angles.

sin A sin B sin C

Law of Sines !! " !! " !!
a b c

Example 1 In !ABC, find b. Example 2 In !DEF, find m"D.

B E

74# 30 58# 28
45#
C A D F
b 24
sin C sin B sin D sin E
!! " !! Law of Sines !! " !! Law of Sines
c b d e
sin 45° sin 74° sin D sin 58° d " 28, m#E " 58,
!! " !! m#C " 45, c " 30, m#B " 74 !! " !!
30 b 28 24 e " 24
b sin 45° " 30 sin 74° Cross multiply.
24 sin D " 28 sin 58° Cross multiply.
30 sin 74°
b " !! Divide each side by sin 45°. 28 sin 58°
sin 45° sin D " !! Divide each side by 24.
24
b # 40.8 Use a calculator.
28 sin 58°
D " sin#1 !! Use the inverse sine.
24
D # 81.6° Use a calculator.

Exercises
Find each measure using the given measures of !ABC. Round angle measures to
the nearest degree and side measures to the nearest tenth.

1. If c " 12, m#A " 80, and m#C " 40, find a.

2. If b " 20, c " 26, and m#C " 52, find m#B.

3. If a " 18, c " 16, and m#A " 84, find m#C.

4. If a " 25, m#A " 72, and m#B " 17, find b.

5. If b " 12, m#A " 89, and m#B" 80, find a.

6. If a " 30, c " 20, and m#A " 60, find m#C.

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 381 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-6 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

The Law of Sines

Use the Law of Sines to Solve Problems You can use the Law of Sines to solve
some problems that involve triangles.

Let !ABC be any triangle with a, b, and c representing the measures of the sides opposite
Law of Sines sin A sin B sin C
the angles with measures A, B, and C, respectively. Then !a! " !b! " !c!.

Example Isosceles !ABC has a base of 24 centimeters and a B

vertex angle of 68°. Find the perimeter of the triangle. 68#
c a
The vertex angle is 68°, so the sum of the measures of the base angles is
b
112 and m#A " m#C " 56. A
24
C
sin B sin A
!! " !! Law of Sines
b a
sin 68° sin 56°
!! " !! m#B " 68, b " 24, m#A " 56
24 a
a sin 68° " 24 sin 56° Cross multiply.
24 sin 56°
a " !! Divide each side by sin 68°.
sin 68°
# 21.5 Use a calculator.

The triangle is isosceles, so c " 21.5.

The perimeter is 24 $ 21.5 $ 21.5 or about 67 centimeters.

Exercises
Draw a triangle to go with each exercise and mark it with the given information.
Then solve the problem. Round angle measures to the nearest degree and side
measures to the nearest tenth.

1. One side of a triangular garden is 42.0 feet. The angles on each end of this side measure
66° and 82°. Find the length of fence needed to enclose the garden.

2. Two radar stations A and B are 32 miles apart. They locate an airplane X at the same
time. The three points form #XAB, which measures 46°, and #XBA, which measures
52°. How far is the airplane from each station?

3. A civil engineer wants to determine the distances from points A and B to an inaccessible
point C in a river. #BAC measures 67° and #ABC measures 52°. If points A and B are
82.0 feet apart, find the distance from C to each point.

4. A ranger tower at point A is 42 kilometers north of a ranger tower at point B. A fire at

point C is observed from both towers. If #BAC measures 43° and #ABC measures 68°,
which ranger tower is closer to the fire? How much closer?

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 382 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-7 Study Guide and Intervention

The Law of Cosines
The Law of Cosines Another relationship between the sides and angles of any triangle
is called the Law of Cosines. You can use the Law of Cosines if you know three sides of a
triangle or if you know two sides and the included angle of a triangle.

Let !ABC be any triangle with a, b, and c representing the measures of the sides opposite
Law of Cosines the angles with measures A, B, and C, respectively. Then the following equations are true.
a 2 " b 2 $ c 2 # 2bc cos A b 2 " a 2 $ c 2 # 2ac cos B c 2 " a 2 $ b 2 # 2ab cos C

Example 1

Lesson 7-7
In !ABC, find c. C
c2 " a2 $ b2 # 2ab cos C Law of Cosines
12 48# 10
c2 " 122 $ 102 # 2(12)(10)cos 48° a " 12, b " 10, m#C " 48

c " !"122 $"

102 #" ""
2(12)(10)cos 48° Take the square root of each side.
A c B

c # 9.1 Use a calculator.

Example 2 In !ABC, find m"A. 7 C

a2 " b2 $ c2 # 2bc cos A Law of Cosines B
8
5
72 " 2 2
5 $ 8 # 2(5)(8) cos A a " 7, b " 5, c " 8
A
49 " 25 $ 64 # 80 cos A Multiply.
#40 " #80 cos A Subtract 89 from each side.
1
!! " cos A Divide each side by #80.
2
1
cos#1 !! " A Use the inverse cosine.
2
60° " A Use a calculator.

Exercises
Find each measure using the given measures from !ABC. Round angle measures
to the nearest degree and side measures to the nearest tenth.

1. If b " 14, c " 12, and m#A " 62, find a.

2. If a " 11, b " 10, and c " 12, find m#B.

3. If a " 24, b " 18, and c " 16, find m#C.

4. If a " 20, c " 25, and m#B " 82, find b.

5. If b " 18, c " 28, and m#A " 59, find a.

6. If a " 15, b " 19, and c " 15, find m#C.

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 387 Glencoe Geometry

 NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____

7-7 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

The Law of Cosines

Use the Law of Cosines to Solve Problems You can use the Law of Cosines to
solve some problems involving triangles.

Let !ABC be any triangle with a, b, and c representing the measures of the sides opposite the
Law of Cosines angles with measures A, B, and C, respectively. Then the following equations are true.
a 2 " b 2 $ c 2 # 2bc cos A b 2 " a 2 $ c 2 # 2ac cos B c 2 " a 2 $ b 2 # 2ab cos C

Example Ms. Jones wants to purchase a piece of land with the 300 ft
shape shown. Find the perimeter of the property. 80#
Use the Law of Cosines to find the value of a. 300 ft
a c

a2 " b2 $ c2 # 2bc cos A Law of Cosines 88#

200 ft
a2 " 3002 $ 2002 # 2(300)(200) cos 88° b " 300, c " 200, m#A " 88

a " !130,0
"" ""
00 # 120,0 00 cos"
88° Take the square root of each side.
# 354.7 Use a calculator.

Use the Law of Cosines again to find the value of c.

c2 " a2 $ b2 # 2ab cos C Law of Cosines
c2 " 354.72 $ 3002 # 2(354.7)(300) cos 80° a " 354.7, b " 300, m#C " 80

c " !215,8
"12.09
"" ""
# 212,820 "
cos 80° Take the square root of each side.
# 422.9 Use a calculator.

The perimeter of the land is 300 $ 200 $ 422.9 $ 200 or about 1223 feet.

Exercises
Draw a figure or diagram to go with each exercise and mark it with the given
information. Then solve the problem. Round angle measures to the nearest degree
and side measures to the nearest tenth.

1. A triangular garden has dimensions 54 feet, 48 feet, and 62 feet. Find the angles at each
corner of the garden.

2. A parallelogram has a 68° angle and sides 8 and 12. Find the lengths of the diagonals.

3. An airplane is sighted from two locations, and its position forms an acute triangle with
them. The distance to the airplane is 20 miles from one location with an angle of
elevation 48.0°, and 40 miles from the other location with an angle of elevation of 21.8°.
How far apart are the two locations?

4. A ranger tower at point A is directly north of a ranger tower at point B. A fire at point C
is observed from both towers. The distance from the fire to tower A is 60 miles, and the
distance from the fire to tower B is 50 miles. If m#ACB " 62, find the distance between
the towers.

© Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 388 Glencoe Geometry