LESSON NOTE
Subject: Mathematics / Further Mathematics
Topic: Trigonometry — Bearings
Class: SS2–SS3 | Duration: 2 Periods (90 minutes)
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
• Define bearing and distinguish between compass and 3-figure bearings.
• Read and write 3-figure bearings correctly.
• Solve problems involving distances and directions using trig ratios, sine rule, and cosine
rule.
• Find the bearing of one point from another.
PART 1 — What Is a Bearing? (15 min)
Key Facts
• A bearing is the direction from one point to another, measured as an angle.
• Always measured from North, in a clockwise direction.
• Always written as a 3-digit number e.g. 045°, not 45°.
Direction 3-figure bearing Direction 3-figure bearing
North (N) 000° South (S) 180°
East (E) 090° West (W) 270°
NE 045° SW 225°
NW 315° SE 135°
Tip: If you know the bearing of A from B, the bearing of B from A = add or subtract 180°. This is
called the back-bearing.
Back-Bearing Rule
If bearing of X from Y < 180°: Back-bearing = bearing + 180°
If bearing of X from Y > 180°: Back-bearing = bearing − 180°
Example: Bearing of B from A = 065°. Bearing of A from B = 065° + 180° = 245°
PART 2 — Worked Examples (60 min)
Example 1 — Basic distance (right-angled triangle)
A ship sails 80 km on a bearing of 060° from port P to point Q. How far North and how far East is
Q from P?
Diagram idea: N is straight up. The bearing 060° is 60° clockwise from N. Drop a perpendicular
from Q to the North line. This gives a right-angled triangle.
The angle between PQ and the North line = 60°
Northward distance = 80 cos 60° = 80 × 0.5 = 40 km
Eastward distance = 80 sin 60° = 80 × 0.8660 = 69.3 km
Q is 40 km North and 69.3 km East of P
Example 2 — Finding a bearing from components
A town B is 12 km East and 9 km South of town A. Find: (a) the distance |AB|, (b) the bearing of B
from A.
This forms a right-angled triangle with East = 12 km (horizontal) and South = 9 km (vertical
downward).
(a) Distance |AB|:
|AB|² = 12² + 9² = 144 + 81 = 225
|AB| = √225 = 15 km
(b) Bearing of B from A:
The angle from South towards East (call it α):
tan α = 12/9 = 1.3333 => α = tan⁻¹(1.3333) = 53.1°
Bearing is measured from North clockwise. South is 180°, then we go 53.1° more towards East:
Bearing = 180° − 53.1° = 126.9°
|AB| = 15 km Bearing of B from A = 127° (to nearest degree)
Example 3 — Two legs of a journey (Sine / Cosine Rule)
A man walks 5 km on a bearing of 030°, then 8 km on a bearing of 120°. Find: (a) his distance
from the starting point, (b) his bearing from the starting point.
Step 1 — Find the angle between the two legs.
Bearing 1 = 030°, Bearing 2 = 120°. The angle at the turning point between the two directions:
Angle between = 120° − 030° = 90°
Step 2 — Since the angle is 90°, use Pythagoras.
d² = 5² + 8² = 25 + 64 = 89
d = √89 ≈ 9.4 km
Step 3 — Find the bearing.
The Northward component of leg 1 (030°): 5 cos 30° = 4.33 km
The Eastward component of leg 1 (030°): 5 sin 30° = 2.50 km
The Northward component of leg 2 (120°): 8 cos 120° = −4.00 km (southward)
The Eastward component of leg 2 (120°): 8 sin 120° = 6.93 km
Total North = 4.33 − 4.00 = 0.33 km
Total East = 2.50 + 6.93 = 9.43 km
Angle from North:
tan θ = 9.43 / 0.33 = 28.6 => θ = tan⁻¹(28.6) ≈ 88.0°
Since Total North > 0 and Total East > 0, we are in the NE quadrant:
Bearing = 088°
Distance ≈ 9.4 km Bearing ≈ 088°
Example 4 — Non-right-angled triangle (Cosine Rule)
P, Q, R are three towns. Q is 10 km from P on a bearing of 050°. R is 7 km from P on a bearing of
130°. Find the distance QR.
Step 1 — Find angle QPR (angle at P between PQ and PR).
Angle QPR = 130° − 050° = 80°
Step 2 — Apply the Cosine Rule (two sides + included angle).
|QR|² = |PQ|² + |PR|² − 2|PQ||PR| cos(QPR)
= 10² + 7² − 2(10)(7) cos 80°
= 100 + 49 − 140 × 0.1736
= 149 − 24.3
= 124.7
|QR| = √124.7 ≈ 11.2 km
|QR| ≈ 11.2 km
Example 5 — Finding a bearing using Sine Rule
Using Example 4 data: P to Q = 10 km at 050°, P to R = 7 km at 130°, |QR| ≈ 11.2 km. Find the
bearing of R from Q.
Step 1 — Find angle PQR using the Sine Rule.
sin(PQR) / |PR| = sin(QPR) / |QR|
sin(PQR) / 7 = sin 80° / 11.2
sin(PQR) = 7 × sin 80° / 11.2 = 7 × 0.9848 / 11.2 = 0.6155
angle PQR = sin⁻¹(0.6155) ≈ 38.0°
Step 2 — Find the bearing of R from Q.
Back-bearing of PQ from Q = 050° + 180° = 230° (i.e. Q looks back at P towards SW).
R is on the clockwise side of the line QP, so:
Bearing of R from Q = 230° + 38.0° = 268°
Bearing of R from Q ≈ 268°
PART 3 — Class Activity & Evaluation (15 min)
Class Activity
1. A plane flies 200 km on bearing 070°. How far North and how far East has it travelled?
2. Town B is 15 km East and 20 km North of town A. Find the distance AB and the bearing of B
from A.
3. Two ships leave port P. Ship X sails 12 km on bearing 040°. Ship Y sails 9 km on bearing
160°. Find the distance between X and Y.
Evaluation Questions
1. What is a bearing? How is it different from a compass direction?
2. The bearing of X from Y is 112°. What is the bearing of Y from X?
3. A and B are two towns. B is 6 km East and 8 km South of A. Calculate (a) |AB| (b) bearing of
B from A (c) bearing of A from B.
Teacher's Notes
• Draw every diagram on the board first before writing any equation. Bearing problems are
almost impossible without a clear sketch.
• Always start by identifying: (i) the North direction at each point, (ii) the angle clockwise
from North, (iii) which trig rule applies.
• Common errors: forgetting to write bearings as 3-digit numbers; measuring from South or
East instead of North; using the wrong angle in the cosine/sine rule.
• Extension: ask students to verify their bearing answers using back-bearing checks.